Tourists warned off visiting idyllic Scottish beach as disease kills hundreds of birds

More birds could be washed up on the shore, says council

Bird flu is blighting the population around Stonehaven (Getty Images)

Beachgoers have been warned after a fresh wave of bird flu killed hundreds of animals at a popular tourist spot on coast of Scotland.

On Monday (10 July), the bodies of 330 seabirds were removed from Stonehaven beach, on the north-east coast, by Aberdeenshire Council workers, reports Aberdeen Live. Yesterday, another 100 were removed, as the disease continues to ravage the aviation population in the country.

The Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was also forced to humanely destroy a number of live birds suspected of having bird flu.

Those visiting the beach have been told to stay away from the bodies of any birds to avoid the risk of infection. The risk of catching avian flu was “extremely low”, said the council, but has advised tourists to leave the birds in-situ due to other disease that wild birds can carry.

“Our teams have been closely monitoring the number of deaths in the bird population over recent days across the region,” An Aberdeenshire Council spokesperson said.

They added: “The council has finite resources, but we will look to remove large concentrations of birds from popular areas of highest footfall. People should be aware, however, that there will inevitably be more birds washed ashore with each tide so beaches may not be cleared entirely.”

They advised that people “keep pets and children away from any dead or sick birds and don’t touch wild bird feathers or surfaces contaminated with droppings.”

Residents can report where there are more than 10 dead birds in an area via the council’s online form on its website.

Last year, one of England’s most important seabird colonies was closed to visitors due to the spread of bird flu.

The Farne Islands off the Northumberland coast – home to around 200,000 birds – were affected by a deadly outbreak of avian influenza that had spread from the UK’s domestic population.