A warning has been issues to beach-goers after bird flu was confirmed at a popular beach in South Tyneside.
Avian influenza, also known as bird flu, is fatal and highly contagious for birds. The deadly disease mainly affects birds but it can also affect humans and other mammals.
Mandatory measures, introduced by the Government to help stop the spread of bird flu across the UK, were lifted from midday on Tuesday. On Wednesday, bird flu was confirmed in dead kittiwakes on Marsden Bay in South Shields.
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Marsden Bay, which is home to Marden Rock and Marsden Grotto pub, is a popular beach spot amongst locals and tourists. It is also home to thousands of pairs of kittiwakes, fulmars, gulls and cormorants.
Souter Lighthouse, which is located nearby in Whitburn, has issued a warning to people in the area to be careful while visiting the beach. The lighthouse account has tweeted: "Sadly, avian influenza (bird flu) has been confirmed in dead kittiwakes at Marsden Bay. If visiting this beach, and others, please don’t touch dead or sick birds, and keep dogs on leads."
People have been urged to report dead or sick birds to Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) on 0345 9335577.
Mandatory measures, which came into force on November 29 last year, made it a legal requirement for all bird keepers across the UK to keep birds indoors and follow strict biosecurity measures to limit the spread and eradicate the disease.
According to the Government, the risk of avian influenza has now reduced to low for all poultry - meaning it is rare but does occur. As a result, the mandatory requirements were lifted from midday on Tuesday, August 16.
Additional mandatory restrictions apply in disease control zones in force surrounding infected premises where avian influenza has been confirmed in poultry or other captive birds.
Bird flu has had a serious impact on areas across the North East. Earlier this year, residents across the region were sent letters warning them about a nearby avian flu outbreak.
Last month, ChronicleLive reported how an outbreak of bird flu had devastated the Farne Islands off the Northumberland coast. The scenic islands were home to 23 species, including puffins, with 200,000 birds living there.
Rangers, who were wearing white protective suits, had collected more than 3,000 dead birds for incineration since the outbreak. they feared that thousands more had succumbed to the disease and fallen off the cliffs into the North Sea.
Colonies of seabirds were also decimated by bird flu on Coquet Island, just off the Northumberland coast near Amble. The RSPB sanctuary is home to the only nesting roseate tern colony in the UK, with around 150 breeding pairs of the species registered at the start of this season. There are also Sandwich, Arctic and common terns on the island.
Bird flu affected all four species, resulting in serious losses of chicks. Several adult birds also died, which could severely affect seabird populations in the coming years.
Back in January this year, Ouseburn Farm in Newcastle, was forced to close to the public. Avian influenza was detected on a number of the birds after staff flagged concerns about the health of the flock. All 50 of the farm's birds, which included chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese sadly died as a result of the outbreak.
According to the NHS, bird flu is spread to humans by close contact with an infected alive or dead bird. This includes touching infected birds, touching dropping or bedding and killing or preparing infected poultry for cooking.
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