Bird hospital in Cornwall forced to cull after positive cases of bird flu

A bird hospital in Cornwall has said that it's been forced to cull all of its animals after positive cases of bird flu were found on the site.

Mousehole Bird Hospital posted on social media to announce it will close so that sanitisation of the site can take place.

The Department for Environmental, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has also put in place a captive bird controlled zone around the area.

In a statement the hospital said: "The team at the hospital are cooperating fully with DEFRA after first raising concerns with them on Thursday as result of their monitoring procedures detecting a possible infection.

"The hospital will remain closed until directed by Defra that it is safe to re-open. There is no projected date for this at the current time."

The bird hospital was founded nearly 100 years ago in 1928 and treats around 1000 orphaned or injured birds per year. It is also the only dedicated wild bird facility in Cornwall.

It comes as there are growing concerns of an outbreak of avian flu in other areas across Cornwall, with a site in Newlyn also being placed under restrictions by the government.

The Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust issued a warning to people after a number of gulls were found dead on beaches last week.