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Thousands of ducks are being slaughtered today after a poultry farm in Norfolk became the county's third confirmed case of bird flu this month.    All 8,000 birds on the breeding centre near the village of Attleborough will be culled in a bid to stop the spread of the disease, which has become a serious threat to the region's valuable poultry industry this winter, a government spokesperson said. It comes after two confirmed cases earlier this month which led to 55,000 turkeys being killed - at farms near King's Lynn and Snetterton - which is less than two miles from the latest outbreak.  Thousands of ducks are being slaughtered today after a poultry farm in Norfolk became the county's third confirmed case of bird flu this month (file photo) Bird flu outbreaks have been confirmed in turkeys, ducks, geese and swans across the UK Animal health teams are 'working to establish the likely source of the introduction and to establish if there is a link' between the two

Matt Hancock today warned the new mutant strain of coronavirus is 'out of control' as he suggested draconian Tier 4 restrictions could be in place 'until we have the vaccine rolled out'.  The Health Secretary said people in Tier 4 areas should behave as if they are infected in order to combat the new variant of the disease which spreads quicker than its predecessor.  Mr Hancock said the new strain can be caught 'more easily from a smaller amount of the virus being present' as he confirmed areas subject to the toughest restrictions are likely to be in the top tier for the long haul.  The Cabinet minister said 'we have got a long way to go to sort this' and it will be 'very difficult to keep it under control until we have the vaccine rolled out'. His comments came after furious Tory MPs demanded Cabinet resignations after Boris Johnson effectively cancelled Christmas for 16million people across England.  The Prime Minister announced yesterday after

Britain will be battered by the tail-end of a US storm this week as vast swathes of the country prepare to spend a wet Christmas in Tier 4 lockdown. There are currently 15 flood warnings in place across much of the south west and the midlands - with some alerts stretching as far as north Yorkshire. Heavy showers over the past couple of days forced the Eden Project - a ecological visitors attraction in Tier 1 Cornwall - to shut. The charity's official Twitter announced the site was forced to close 'due to significant flooding' overnight. And the weather is unlikely to pick up much over the next few days as the country will be hit with remnants of the US's nor'easter storm, sending temperatures plummeting and bringing rain across the south. The adverse weather will no-doubt come as a blow to the 18 million people in southern England who have been slapped with a stay-at-home order for Christmas day - even though Mr Johnson insisted just days ago that it would be 'i

Police Scotland will double its presence along the border with England but will not  set up checkpoints and road blocks to enforce Nicola Sturgeon's coronavirus travel restrictions, Scotland's top police chief said today.  Chief Constable Iain Livingstone said that he does not consider draconian curbs on cross-border travel 'appropriate or proportionate' as he doubled the number of officers in the Border areas.  In a statement, the Police Scotland chief said 'highly visible patrols' would instead 'deter anyone who might be considering breaching the coronavirus travel restrictions'.  Indoor mixing will only be allowed on Christmas Day and most of Scotland will be put into the highest level of lockdown from Boxing Day, with a 'strict travel ban' preventing travel to other parts of the UK.  The First Minister last night cut the Christmas amnesty to one day after Boris Johnson plunged London and much of the South East of England into a brutal new Tie