A suspected case of bird flu at a poultry farm in Lancaster has been detected by food safety authorities.

Tests done by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) indicate an outbreak of avian influenza.

170,000 birds on the farm in Goosnargh, Preston are due to be culled and animal movements within a 6-mile “control zone” have been restricted.

The decision to cull the birds was "based on the clinical symptoms and emerging laboratory findings," according to Defra.

The risk to public health is very low, Defra have said and there is “no food safety risk” for consumers according to the Food Standards Agency.

Farmers in the region have been advised to be vigilant for any signs and the disease and the annual Goosnargh and Longridge agricultural show has been affected.

A spokesperson for Defra said: "We have a strong track record of controlling and eliminating previous outbreaks of avian flu in the UK."

In pictures: Yorkshire bird flu outbreak Show all 7 1 /7 In pictures: Yorkshire bird flu outbreak In pictures: Yorkshire bird flu outbreak Bird flu outbreak Police tape and warning signs are seen outside a duck farm in Nafferton, northern England In pictures: Yorkshire bird flu outbreak Bird flu outbreak People in protective clothing are seen at a farm that has reported an outbreak of Bird Flu in Nafferton, East Yorkshire Britain In pictures: Yorkshire bird flu outbreak Bird flu outbreak Ducks are seen at a farm that has reported an outbreak of Bird Flu in Nafferton, East Yorkshire Britain In pictures: Yorkshire bird flu outbreak Bird flu outbreak Specialists wearing protective clothing prepare to enter a duck breeding farm In pictures: Yorkshire bird flu outbreak Bird flu outbreak Experts wearing protective suits are seen at a duck farm in Nafferton, northern England In pictures: Yorkshire bird flu outbreak Bird flu outbreak A policeman stands guard at a farm near Nafferton, East Yorkshire where a strain of bird flu has been confirmed In pictures: Yorkshire bird flu outbreak Bird flu outbreak A specialist dresses in protective clothing as she prepares to enter a duck breeding farm

Outbreaks of bird flu in Yorkshire in 2014 and in Hampshire in February were both quickly contained.