Bird flu: parts of Herefordshire covered by new control zone

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said all birds at the site in Newent, near Ledbury, would be killed.

The site is the 28th in England where the government has confirmed cases of the H5N1 strain of bird flu in England.

A 3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone has been put in place around the premises, which an OS map grid reference, supplied by the Government, suggests is in Highleadon. It is close to Hartpury College.

The 10km zone covers as far as Aston Ingham and Gorsley on the Herefordshire-Gloucestershire border near Ross-on-Wye.

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The two zones, which extend as far as 10-kilometres radius of the site, are to prevent the flu from spreading.

The 10-kilometre control zones mean 314.2 square kilometers of Gloucestershire and Herefordshire must follow certain rules surrounding poultry.

The new control zones around Highleadon, near Newent, in the Forest of Dean. Picture: UK Government

The strain of avian flu found at all 28 sites in England so far, including a site near Leominster, is H5N1.

Officials confirmed last week that flu had been confirmed in Shobdon, at a site in Ledicot Lane.

The NHS said the strain does not infect people easily and is not usually spread from human to human.

But several people have been infected around the world, leading to a number of deaths, it said.

DEFRA said from November 29 it would be a legal requirement for all bird keepers across the UK to keep their birds indoors and to follow strict biosecurity measures in order to limit the spread of and eradicate the disease.

Wild birds migrating to the UK from mainland Europe during the winter months can carry the disease and this can lead to cases in poultry and other captive birds, it said.

Housing measures had been in place for parts of North Yorkshire since November 21 after a number of confirmed and suspect cases of H5N1 avian influenza in poultry in the area.

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Public health advice remains that the risk to human health from the virus is very low and food standards bodies advise that avian influenzas pose a very low food safety risk for UK consumers.

But people are told not to touch or pick up any dead or sick birds that they find and instead report them by calling 03000 200 301.

"There is no impact on the consumption of properly cooked poultry products including eggs," DEFRA said.

The two zones have rules which will affect the movement of birds and eggs, the removal of litter, manure and slurry, and other biosecurity measures.

The measures came into force at 9pm on Sunday after being approved by the Secretary of State at 9.15pm.

For full guidance, visit the Government website here.