Dead birds at Scottish dog walking site spark avian flu tests and warning to stay away

People have been urged to stay away from a Fife site after the discovery of a number of dead birds sparked concerns over the highly infectious avian flu.

The appeal was made by the owners of the former St Ninians opencast coalfield in west Fife, which is a popular haunt for dog walkers.

The site is now managed by National Pride CIC, which is planning to develop a wellness and leisure park at the location.

The St Ninians site (Pic: Submitted)

The organisation is working with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to establish if there has been an outbreak of avian flu. It comes just days after cases were confirmed at The Helix and Kinnaird in Falkirk where warning signs have been put up to advise visitors of the situation and the precautions they should take.

Irene Bisset, who chairs National Pride CIC and is a director of National Pride (St Ninians) Ltd, said: “We would kindly request that individuals do not enter the former St Ninians open cast coal site. A number of dead birds have been found on the site and we are working with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to establish through testing if this may be avian influenza.

“Avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, is a highly infectious virus spread through bird-to-bird contact and indirectly through contaminated feed, water and equipment. The chances of being transmitted to humans are extremely low.

“However, the boots, clothing and hands of any person who has been in contact with infected animals can spread the disease. Given this ongoing situation, we would urge individuals to not access this site until we obtain the result of the tests.”