Dead swan in lake tests positive for avian flu

Witney Town Council said two swans had died since the disease was detected

A dead swan retrieved from a lake has tested positive for avian flu, a council has said.

Witney Town Council said a second swan in Witney Lake, Oxfordshire, had also died since the disease was detected in the area.

In a Facebook post, the authority said it was working with "the appropriate agencies" and would "continue to carefully monitor the health of our wild birds".

"We know how much our community cares about the wildlife at the lake, and this news will be upsetting for many," the post added.

The council urged people not to attempt to collect or touch dead birds, or birds that appear sick, but instead to report them to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).