THE Government moved to calm bird flu fears last night after a North-East farmer found eight dead seagulls in a week.

Cattle farmer Jeff Horn called the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) after he saw the dead seagulls around Greatham Creek, near Haverton Hill, Billingham, east Cleveland.

He said thousands of birds migrated to the region in winter and that he became concerned their deaths could have been as a result of the fatal bird flu that has hit parts of Asia and Eastern Europe and is threatening to spread across the globe.

He said: "I have found about eight dead seagulls in a week around the creek. I know there has been a lot of hype about bird flu, but I am very worried that it could have something to do with that."

A Defra spokesman last night said animal experts in the area had been contacted and that they believed there was nothing to worry about in this case. He said: "The problem we have with this case is that each bird has been lifted by a fox overnight, so we have been unable to test.

"But it seems to us that this is just a series of deaths along the coastline that the farmer has come across. We are not overly concerned."

He said Mr Horn was right to contact Defra and urged people to call (0845) 933 5577 if they have concerns