Fears of a major bird flu outbreak have been raised after dozens of dead swans were discovered across London’s Docklands over the weekend.
The Canal and River Trust (CRT) confirmed that 24 swan carcasses were reported at West India and Millwall Docks near Canary Wharf on Saturday and Sunday.
However, local volunteers believe the true figure may exceed 30.
Photos of dead birds floating in the water began circulating on Isle of Dogs Facebook groups earlier in the week.
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While the exact cause has yet to be confirmed, bird flu is considered the most likely explanation.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has been notified and tests are expected to be carried out.
A local swan rescue volunteer, who has remained anonymous, described what he called a “serious outbreak of bird flu".
“We have literally got bodies piling up,” he said.
The CRT confirmed that 24 swan carcasses were reported at West India and Millwall Docks
|GETTY
The volunteer added: " It started off as two died there. By the time we came to bag the bodies up, there were five there.
"We’re just getting a constant stream of birds that are dying or dead.”
He noted that a previous outbreak several years ago had been “far less infectious and virulent” than the current situation.
A spokesman for the CRT confirmed that specialist contractors had been deployed to remove the carcasses from the water.
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Defra has been notified and tests are expected to be carried out
| PA“For the carcasses we've been dealing with, we've had to bring in our specialist contractors to remove them from the water,” he said.
“We currently don't know the actual cause, so essentially the authorities are going to be doing tests as to why so many have died.”
Members of the public have been urged not to handle the birds and instead report sightings to the relevant authorities.
The deaths come just months after London’s swan population showed signs of recovery following previous declines linked to avian flu and deliberate attacks involving catapults and air guns.
The London Wildlife Trust has estimated that around 8,500 swans live across Greater London
|GETTY
The London Wildlife Trust has estimated that around 8,500 swans live across Greater London.
West India Docks, once London’s first purpose-built docks before closing in 1980, now sit at the heart of the Canary Wharf development.
In November, the Government's former top expert in avian virology warned that a wave of bird flu sweeping farms across Britain could be the most infectious in the country's history.
At the time, Professor Ian Brown warned farmers across the nation to "prepare for the worst".
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