Confirmed bird flu cases at Doncaster Lakeside

The UK Health Security Agency says the risk to human health is low

Health and safety measures are being introduced after dead birds at a lake in South Yorkshire were found to have bird flu.

City of Doncaster Council said the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) confirmed the birds, found at Doncaster Lakeside, had avian influenza.

The local authority said it was working with Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) to control the spread of the disease.

The UK Health Security Agency said the risk to human health was low but advised people not to touch or pick up any dead or visibly sick birds and to avoid bird droppings in parks and lakeside areas.

A spokesperson for the council said: "Rest assured that we are working with Defra and APHA to control the spread of the disease and put the relevant health and safety measures in place across the city.

"We are also working with individuals and organisations known to us that keep birds and we are placing signs in key areas to warn the public."

The council asked people to report sightings of dead birds to the council.

Earlier this month, cases of bird flu were confirmed in commercial poultry near Thorne in Doncaster.

A national mandatory housing order was brought into force in England earlier this month to protect poultry and other captive birds after an increase in cases.

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