Bird Flu: Trafford Council urges people to be vigilant and report dead birds

Trafford Council has issued an advisory to people not to be feeding any birds in the Trafford area as two Canadian Geese have been found dead at Sale Water Park.

The RSPCA have sent of samples to the Department or Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to see if the birds did die from Bird Flu and an update will soon be available, at this time just for peace of mind the council are advising for people not to feeding the birds as they tend to bunch up together.

Bird Flu does not pose any risk to people however as its everywhere now the very small chance it could pass from bird to human is very real and the council and other authorities are taking no chances.

We know many people enjoy feeding the birds at Sale Water Park and on other waterways such as Bridgewater Canal and River Mersey.

Remember you can still enjoy watching them as they pose no risk to humans.

A council spokesperson, Richard Roe, Trafford Council’s Director of Place, said: “This is obviously upsetting for everyone, including our own teams dealing with this, but avian flu is unfortunately now affecting wild birds right across the UK.

“People visiting Sale Water Park will see teams from the council and RSPCA on-site, but they should not be alarmed. We are not restricting access to the park, simply asking people to exercise common sense.

“Don’t go near any birds, especially if they are dead or distressed. There is a number to call on the information signs to report any that visitors do see.”

Mr Roe added: “We will be liaising with groups across the borough that use similar outdoor sites, alerting them to the issue and asking that them to take similar steps. As soon as we have confirmation and know exactly what we are dealing with, we will update accordingly.”

Trafford’s Director of Public Health, Dr Eleanor Roaf, said: “Unfortunately, we are seeing many cases of avian flu in wild birds across the UK at the moment. Although the risk to humans is low, we are very keen to stop this from spreading either to people, or to farmed or domestic birds.”

Dr Roaf added: “If you do keep poultry at home, please do make sure that they are kept indoors, and that no dirt is brought into the hen house. We would advise against feeding wild birds, as this can encourage them to congregate together, and helps spread disease.”

No other dead birds have been reported in Trafford that we know about at the time of publishing, if you see any even floating in the water or on land do not go anywhere near it and you are then asked to contact DEFRA (Department or Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) on 0345 933 5577

(Pic: Darren Marsden)