BETWEEN 40 and 50 swans have been culled after an outbreak of avian flu was confirmed at a Worcestershire swan sanctuary.

DEFRA staff arrived at the Wychbold Swan Rescue after the outbreak was confirmed, with between 40 and 50 birds including swans, ducks, chickens and geese were killed.

Jan Harrigan, from the Rescue Centre, told the Droitwich Advertiser: “All the birds are being culled. This is a very sad day. Heaven help anyone who has got the same.”

Following the cull, the sanctuary’s rescue operations are on hold, with Mrs Harrigan adding she did not know how long this would be.

The cull follows a number of outbreaks across the country, with the government introducing a “poultry lockdown” because of the number of cases.

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The Wychbold centre was closed down last week after fears of an outbreak which killed nine swans and several chickens.

Announcing the news on social media, a post on the sanctuary’s Facebook page said: “As some of our supporters/followers may have seen on the local news, due to the avian influenza outbreak our current flock of rescued birds have had to be euthanised today as instructed by DEFRA.

"We cannot take any water birds in for the time being.

"This is an extremely sad day for all involved with Wychbold Swan Rescue.”

The swan outbreak is one of nine such outbreaks DEFRA is currently tracking. These include cases in Leominster and Stroud, as well as further afield.

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Under the terms of the DEFRA lockdown, poultry and captive bird keepers and members of the public should report dead wild birds to the Defra helpline on 03459 33 55 77 (option 7), and keepers should report suspicion of disease to APHA on 03000 200 301.

Keepers should familiarise themselves with our avian flu advice.

A joint statement from Great Britain’s three Chief Veterinary Officers said: “We have taken swift action to limit the spread of the disease and are now planning to introduce a legal requirement for all poultry and captive bird keepers to keep their birds housed or otherwise separate from wild birds.

“Whether you keep just a few birds or thousands, from 14 December onwards you will be legally required to keep your birds indoors, or take appropriate steps to keep them separate from wild birds.

"We have not taken this decision lightly, but it is the best way to protect your birds from this highly infectious disease.”

We reported yesterday how at least 60 of 100 Worcester swans have now died of Avian flu, according to Worcester Swan Feeding Project.