Published Friday 27 January 2017 at 14:04
Residents who own chickens and ducks are being urged to carry on keeping their birds indoors following a new reported case of avian flu.
Avian flu has been confirmed in a flock of farmed breeding pheasants at premises in Wyre, Lancashire. A 3km Protection Zone and a 10km Surveillance Zone have been put in place around the infected premises to limit the risk of the disease spreading.
The flock is estimated to contain approximately 10,000 birds. A number have died and the remaining live birds at the premises are being humanely culled.
Keepers of poultry and other captive birds are required to keep their birds indoors, or take appropriate steps to keep them separate from wild birds.
The Government had declared a Prevention Zone in December last year to help protect poultry and captive birds from a strain of avian fly that was detected in mainland Europe.
The zone covers England and was to remain in place for 30 days however, it has now been extended to February 28.
It follows the confirmation of several cases including a small backyard flock near Settle in North Yorkshire, a backyard flock in Carmarthenshire, Wales, and a turkey farm in Lincolnshire.
Public Health England (PHE) advises that the threat to human health remains very low.