Bird flu confirmed in commercial poultry operation near Fakenham in Norfolk

Birds will have to be culled after avian flu was discovered in a flock of commercial poultry in Norfolk.

The finding of the highly infectious H5N1 strain of the disease was confirmed at a premises near Fakenham in north Norfolk on Tuesday.

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs said: "A 3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone have been put in place around the premises. All poultry on the premises will be humanely culled."

Tens of thousands of chickens, turkeys, geese and ducks have been slaughtered in recent months with East Anglia at the epicentre of the country's worst-ever bird flu outbreak.

Nationally there have been more than 200 cases confirmed on commercial premises, smallholdings and in pet birds in the UK since October 2021.

It is not possible to vaccinate poultry or most captive birds against bird flu in England.

Only zoos or collections holding a current zoo licence can apply for their birds to be vaccinated.

Measures to keep all poultry and captive birds indoors in Norfolk, Suffolk and parts of Essex came into force in October

The measures are aimed at preventing house birds from interacting with wild birds, to try and stop the spread of blu flu.

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