Fears that containment area imposed in parts of Kent comes too late as wild oysters believed to be infected by outbreak

This article is more than 10 years old

This article is more than 10 years old

Fisheries inspectors have banned the movement of oysters from parts of Kent after an outbreak of herpes devastated stocks at a shellfish farm in Whitstable.

More than 8 million oysters are estimated to have been wiped out by the virus at Seasalter Shellfish in the town, a spokesman for the fish health inspectorate said.

A containment area covering the Swale, the Thames and the north Kent coast has been established to prevent the virus spreading, but inspectors fear wild oysters are already infected, making it nearly impossible to eradicate the disease completely.

The fish health inspectorate was called in to investigate the shell fish farm after staff reported an unusual death rate among its Pacific oyster stocks.

The shellfish tested positive for the OsHV-1 virus, a particularly lethal strain of herpes never before been seen in British waters. Previous outbreaks have destroyed stocks in France, Jersey and Ireland.

The virus only affects Pacific (rock) oysters and poses no risk to native oyster species. Infected oysters have a pungent odour but are harmless to humans.

Inspectors are testing oysters from several farms within the containment area and from others around the country that buy stocks from a hatchery nearby.

"It could be devastating for oyster production in other areas, for instance the south coast, so it's really important that we contain the disease," a spokeswoman for the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science said. Around 1,100 tonnes of Pacific oysters are bred in the UK every year.