The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said they are not currently expecting overall egg supplies to be affected.

H5N1 was first identified as an avian flu strain that could infect humans in 1997 and has since claimed hundreds of lives.

All bird keepers, from people with pet birds to farmers with huge flocks, are now required to follow strict hygiene measures imposed by the government - and in some counties, birds must be kept indoors.

A strain of avian flu that has infected humans in the past, H5N1, have been confirmed in Scotland and England in recent weeks. The widespread effect of the outbreak has prompted the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to extend protection, surveillance and mandatory housing orders across the two countries.

An avian influenza prevention zone (AIPZ) has been declared across the whole of England and Scotland in response to escalating cases of bird flu. Starting