Poultry will be culled at a property near Holt after a highly pathogenic strain of bird flu was found there.

Defra confirmed the presence of the H5N1 strain of avian influenza on Saturday, September 3, less than two weeks after the same strain was found on a farm at Gayton, near King's Lynn.

The premises in question is shown as being to the south-east of Holt, between Baconsthorpe and Edgefield.

After the Gayton outbreak, John Newton, Norfolk county adviser for the National Farmers' Union (NFU), said: “This is concerning news for our region’s vital poultry sector and highlights that avian influenza still poses a risk.

"We would urge all bird keepers to remain vigilant and maintain enhanced biosecurity measures to help prevent future outbreaks."

Defra said of the Holt outbreak: "All kept birds on the premises will be humanely culled."

The government has imposed a 3km protection zone and a 10km surveillance zone around the Holt property.

The zones came into effect at 6pm on Saturday and mean, among another conditions, that records must be kept if anyone visits an area where poultry is kept.

The government has confirmed 117 cases of H5N1 in England, and there are currently 14 disease control zones in force.

Apart from the Holt and Gayton zones, the others are in Devon, Cornwall, Yorkshire and Bedfordshire.