Attenborough Nature Reserve finds 150 suspected bird flu deaths

A wildlife trust said it has found more than 150 dead birds at a Nottinghamshire reserve in a suspected case of avian flu.

Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust said its staff had found the birds at Attenborough Nature Reserve, amid a rise in outbreaks across the UK.

The trust said it believed cases were slowing and it was liaising with Defra

Head of communications Erin McDaid said the incident had been traumatic for everyone connected with the reserve.

"Whilst we are still awaiting confirmation from Defra that we are dealing with avian flu, we are taking the situation extremely seriously," he said.

"Our team are collecting carcasses and dealing with distressed birds as quickly as possible - but we need people to be aware that there may be some unavoidable delays in responding due to the size of the reserve, the numbers of birds affected and the availability of trained staff and equipment such as boats."

The trust has also temporarily fenced off the approach to the nature centre, which remains open, as a precaution to discourage bird feeding and limit opportunities for direct contact between birds and people.

It has also called on visitors to help by not feeding the birds, keeping dogs on leads and reporting dead birds directly to Defra's helpline.

The trust said it expected to hear the results of tests on sample birds from Defra later this week.

The UK Health Security Agency said the risk to the public was very low, but that people should not touch dead birds.

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