A farm attraction has been forced to move its normally free-range flock of chickens indoors, as part of new measures to prevent the spread of bird flu. Under an order which came into force on 16 February, poultry and captive birds in Herefordshire and Worcestershire must be kept indoors, the government said.

Anxieties are high as experts warn the avian flu outbreak could worsen in the spring, but egg prices are spurring more newcomers to start backyard flocks.

Bird flu (H5N1) is a contagious virus affecting birds and, rarely, humans. Currently, it hasn't been become airborne, but if H5N1's genetic makeup is changed in such a manner that it can be airborne,