• Published4 days ago

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Dead and dying seabirds have been found on beaches and inland in Dorset prompting calls for a probe into a suspected bird flu outbreak.

The Portland Bird Observatory said “several dozen” dead and dying gannets had been spotted on Chesil Beach.

Last month,numerous seabirds were reported to be dying in Cornwall.

The government is investigating those deaths as part of its wild bird surveillance programme.

Martin Cade, manager of Portland Bird Observatory, said he had seen “several dozen on the Chesil Beach and on pavements and in fields”.

“These are normally powerful seabirds that spend their life at sea. They only come ashore because they’re sickly. You can see them sitting looking forlorn,” he said.

“I saw one gannet personally…