The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said an initial 10km control zone has been set up around a poultry farm near Redgrave after the H5N8 Avian Influenza virus was identified.

The farm contains an estimated 23,000 birds. A number have already died and the remaining are to be humanely culled.

The Food Standards Agency said it is clear that bird flu does not pose a food safety risk for consumers.

Further investigations were continuing "into the nature of the virus detected and to establish the possible source of the infection," Defra said.

Irish cases

In Ireland two more cases of avian influenza were confirmed on Friday, bringing the number of Irish cases to eight.

The virus was found in a grey heron in Middleton, Co Cork, and in a mute swan in Lough Eorna, Co Tipperary.

There have also been two cases in Northern Ireland.

A wild swan in Derry and a whooper swan in Lough Neagh were both found to have bird flu.

Since the beginning of the new year, there have been 276 outbreaks in poultry, 19 outbreaks in captive birds and 311 mortality events in wild birds across 16 European countries.

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