A VILLAGE tradition will be broken next month with the cancellation of the annual Beating the Bounds ceremony.

Wythall parish councillors decided to abandon the walk along the village boundaries at the full council meeting on Thursday.

Most boundaries are over fields and footpaths, which have been closed due to the foot and mouth outbreak.

"It's very disappointing that it has been called off but we feel that it is the right thing to do," said Wythall parish councillor Jill Dyer.

"It's a very nice community day out and we hope that it will go ahead next year," she added.

Councillors rejected the opportunity to walk Beating of the Bounds along village roads because only part of the boundary meets with the road.

The walk itself is thought to have started in medieval times when village folk walked out towards stones marking the boundary.

The villagers would then whip young boys at the scene, hence the term 'beating', so that they would know not to cross the boundary and fall into the hands of thieves and pilferers.

The local vicar would also walk with villagers blessing the coming year's crops.

Wythall Councillors restarted the tradition in 1989, 50-years after the last record of Beating the Bounds in 1939 was recorded.

In recent years the boundary walk has been rather more informal with many interested walkers joining in.

Cllr Dyer added: "We still invite the church members to come along and many villagers become interested as well as the Countryside Carers."