Bird flu outbreak confirmed in Doncaster as restrictions are put in place

A 2-mile (3km) protection zone and a 6-mile (10km) surveillance zone have been put in place around the area after the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the H5N1 virus "was confirmed in commercial poultry" at a site near Cantley.

All the birds on the affected premises will be humanely killed, Defra said.

Bird flu is an infectious disease of poultry and wild birds that has been around for a century. It usually flares up in autumn before fading away in spring and summer.

It can spread through entire flocks of domestic birds within a matter of days, through birds' droppings and saliva, or through contaminated feed and water.

The H5N1 virus, which is the most prevalent strain now, was first reported in China in 1996.

The outbreak comes just days after national restrictions were lifted, allowing poultry and captive birds to be kept outside again.