Bird flu has been detected in a single sheep for the first time in England, in an area where the disease had been confirmed in captive birds. The government said while this marked the first time avian influenza H5N1 had been found in a sheep. It is not the first time it had been detected in livestock in other countries.

The world's first case of bird flu in sheep has been found in the UK, the nation's chief veterinary officer has confirmed. The exact location of the farm has not been revealed, but a government spokesperson said the case was identified on a site in Yorkshire where bird flu had been confirmed in captive birds.

Bird flu has been detected in a sheep in northern England, the first known case of its kind in the world, Britain's government said, adding to the growing list of mammals infected by the disease and fuelling fears of a pandemic.