22 geese and swans are confirmed dead at a popular Wiltshire Wildlife Trust site.
Langford Lakes near Salisbury has banned fishing, closed riverway access and cancelled educational activities like pond-dipping following the recent deaths.
Whilst the cause is yet to be established, estates manager Dave Turner believes the birds died from avian influenza, better known as bird flu.
He told the BBC: “From a wildlife perspective this is the worst we’ve ever seen; it could be a very long winter unfortunately.”
Most of the dead birds were Canada geese, but some swans died too. Two of the carcasses were taken by DEFRA agents ahead of testing for the deadly disease.
Yesterday the government announced strict measures amid the outbreak, putting an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) in place across Britain.
The introduction of the AIPZ comes after Britain faced its largest-ever outbreak of avian flu with 190 cases confirmed since late October 2021, with over 30 of these confirmed this month.
Dozens of birds have been found dead at nature spots across Wiltshire, including in Swindon – at Coate Water, Queen’s Park, Lydiard Park and Stanton Park.
READ MORE: Deadly bird flu sweeps across UK as government announces strict new measures
