Almost 1.8 million farmed and captive birds have been culled in the past three months because of the spread of avian flu across the UK, the BBC has learned. There have been 33 outbreaks of the virus on farms and, on Wednesday, the government said bird-keepers in five more English counties would have to house flocks indoors from Sunday.

More than 300 dead geese and other waterfowl have been discovered in five counties, and bird flu is likely to blame, officials say.

The presence of avian influenza, AKA bird flu, has been confirmed near the Outer Banks, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) said Wednesday.

Dead wild birds recently sampled across several Lower Peninsula counties are suspected to be positive for bird flu.

First cases are also reported in India’s Maharashtra state, while further outbreaks in commercial flocks have been recorded in Japan and South Korea.