Devon black swans die of bird flu 'devastating'

One of the iconic birds was filmed laying eggs in 2016

Six black swans have died after contracting bird flu.

An adult and five cygnets in Dawlish died from the virus on Monday, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) tests confirmed.

Two further adults died overnight on Tuesday and their remains will be examined to establish the cause of death, Dawlish Town Council said.

The town's mayor described the deaths as "devastating", as the birds hold a "special place" within the community.

Dawlish Water's black swans have been a significant tourist attraction for decades and have been the town's emblem for over 40 years.

Recently, a live webcam stream of them has been available online .

Nine swans are still alive, two of which are sick and being monitored by the council's waterfowl wardens, who have asked people to avoid them.

'Heartbreaking'

Tributes have been paid to the "very special and beautiful" birds on social media, with locals and visitors expressing their sadness.

Iris Taylor said: "So very sad and heartbreaking not only for the community of Dawlish, but for those of us who look forward to seeing them when we are on holiday there."

Gillian Dobbs said watching the swans online had brought "relief from these horrible times".

Mayor of Dawlish Alison Foden said: "This is obviously devastating news for us, not just as a council but for the Parish of Dawlish as a whole.

"We are famous for our black swans all over the world, they hold a special place within our communities and their health and wellbeing is really important to us."

Other populations of birds in south-west England have died of the virus in recent days.

The strain of the bird flu is "considered very low risk" of human transmission, Public Health England said.