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28th January 2025

Avian Influenza Prevention Zone declared for whole of England

Mandatory enhanced biosecurity will now be required and the housing order extended to cover York, North Yorkshire and Shropshire.

From:

Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Animal and Plant Health Agency

Published

24 January 2025

The UK Chief Veterinary Officer has ordered a new  Avian Influenza Prevention Zone AIPZ to cover the whole of England from noon on Saturday 25 January following the escalating number of cases of avian influenza and continued heightened risk levels in wild birds.

The move will require keepers to conduct enhanced biosecurity to mitigate the risk of further outbreaks of the disease.

A housing order has also been extended in the north of England to now cover York and North Yorkshire, and a new Housing Order has been ordered for Shropshire following an outbreak in the county. This will come into force at 00:01 on Monday 27th January.

A housing order remains in force across East Riding of Yorkshire, City of Kingston Upon Hull, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk. Areas with Housing Orders require the strictest levels of biosecurity as set out by the AIPZ.

Mandatory housing also applies in any 3km Protection Zone surrounding an infected premises.

The current risk to human health remains low and as standard, properly cooked poultry and poultry products, including eggs, are safe to eat. UKHSA remains vigilant for any evidence of changing levels of risk and are keeping this under constant review.

UK Chief Veterinary Officer, Christine Middlemiss said:

Given the continued increase in the number of bird flu cases across England, we are taking further action to try and prevent the further spread of disease.

I urge bird keepers to check which requirements apply to them, to continue to exercise robust biosecurity measures, remain alert for any signs of disease and report suspected disease immediately to the Animal and Plant Health Agency.

The AIPZ measures apply to all bird keepers whether they have pet birds, commercial flocks or just a few birds in a backyard flock and are essential to protecting flocks from avian influenza.

Bird keepers are advised to consult the Interactive Map on gov.uk to check if they are impacted and should then read the AIPZ declaration relevant to their area - either the regional AIPZ with housing measures which sets out the requirements in East Riding of Yorkshire, City of Kingston Upon Hull, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Shropshire, York and North Yorkshire, or the regional AIPZ without housing measures for all other areas of England.

Further information on the latest situation and guidance to help bird keepers comply with the new rules is available via gov.uk/birdflu, but includes measures such as cleansing and disinfect clothing, footwear, equipment and vehicles before and after contact with poultry and captive birds– if practical, use disposable protective clothing.

Keepers are encouraged to take action to prevent bird flu and stop it spreading. Be vigilant for signs of disease and report it to keep your birds safe.

Check if you’re in a bird flu disease zone on the map and check the declarations for details of the restrictions and gov.uk/birdflu for further advice and information.

The AIPZs will be in place until further notice and will be kept under regular review as part of the government’s work to monitor and manage the risks of avian influenza.

28th January 2025

Fly Tipping is the illegal disposal of household, industrial, commercial, or other controlled
waste. Fly tipping can be anything from a single bag of waste to lorry loads of building waste.
Fly tipping is a crime that carries serious penalties.

The cleanliness of our county is a universal issue which affects everyone who lives, works, or
studies in Shropshire. In recent years, it has been difficult to maintain standards that we
would expect to see. Addressing this is a key priority with our officers.

Shropshire, in common with the rest of the country, has experienced an increase in fly
tipping in recent years. Our Street Scene delivery partner clear reported fly tips within 5
working days. However, if the offence causes an obstruction, or is considered by us to be
dangerous, this will be cleared sooner.

Shropshire Council are working closely with colleagues within West Mercia Police, Defra, The
Environment Agency, and other Local Authorities to gather evidence and share best practice
in how to tackle Fly tipping.
Occasionally, households might have to hire a private service to dispose of their household,
garden, or construction waste. To prevent this waste from being dumped illegally, the
Household Waste Duty of Care Regulations 2005 were established, updating section 34 of
the Environment Protection Act 1990. These regulations require individuals to take all
reasonable steps to ensure that they only hand over their household waste to someone who
is authorised to handle it. If they give their waste to an unauthorised person or company,
they could face a fine. If someone isn’t registered to take your waste, they are less likely to
dispose of it legally.

Highways portfolio holder, Dan Morris said:
We have been working hard with other agencies to both deter and bring offenders to justice.
Shropshire Council will continue to work with West Mercia Police, Defra and The
Environmental Agency to target anyone who chooses to illegally deposit material, or to carry
waste illegally within our county. We hope that this sends a clear message, that Shropshire
Council will actively investigate acts of environmental crime in our county and work with
communities when incidents are reported. We encourage people to dispose of their waste
responsibly.

Cllr Joyce Barrow said:
We live in a beautiful part of the country, and we need to ensure that we look after
it. Having experienced a very bad case of fly tipping in my own village of Trefonen and the
consequences of it, I would ask residents to report any cases they see and identify culprits
where possible to the council.

Community support is valued, you can help protect your community and environment. If you
witness fly tipping, try to take as much information as possible, such as vehicle registration
and description of the vehicle, time, date, location of the incident, description of the waste
being dumped and a description of the people/person dumping the waste.
If safe to do so, photos can be taken of what you have witnessed. Remember, do not
approach anyone who you have witnessed fly tipping.

You can report an incident of fly tipping via FixMyStreet
This will ensure that each enquiry is logged, acknowledged, and issued with a reference
number. The enquiry will be allocated to the appropriate service area who will investigate
the matter and action as required.

29th October 2024

New household recycling centres booking system

A new booking system for people wishing to visit Shropshire Council’s five household recycling centres comes into effect on Monday, 4 November – with people able to make a booking from Tuesday, 29 October.

Please see below information about the booking system:

  1. Bookings can be made by residents in the Shropshire Council and Telford & Wrekin Council areas
  2. Bookings can be made online or by phone, with online bookings encouraged.
  3. To book online – and for more information – people will be encouraged to visit the council website – see Household recycling centre bookings | Shropshire Council

The address for this page is www.shropshire.gov.uk/recyclingcentrebooking . This is the address that will be used on/in all communications, and the address that you can share with your residents.

From Tuesday (29 October) the site will include links to the booking system websites - there will be two booking sites: one for cars and one for vans/trailers.

4. On the webpage you will find lots of questions answers about the booking system, which we hope will help to answer any questions you or your residents may have. Questions are broken down into three categories. See links below:

Why are we doing this? | Shropshire Council

How to book | Shropshire Council

At the recycling centre | Shropshire Council

A video showing what to expect when you arrive at the recycling centre can also be seen on the website at- At the recycling centre | Shropshire Council

 

Attached is a report by Kent County Council outlining the positive impact of their booking system.

If you any questions, please email communications@shropshire.gov.uk

8th October 2024

Shropshire Council’s new garden waste subscription service will now begin on Monday 4 November 2024, one month later than initially planned, after the council’s supplier failed to produce the garden bin stickers to the required and requested specification.

This means that all garden waste will continue to be collected until Friday 1 November, and will only be collected after this date if people have subscribed and paid.

Those who subscribe to the service will be sent a special sticker to attach to their garden bin, to show collection crews which bins to empty. However, the first stickers sent out by the council’s supplier last week were not ‘tamper proof’ as requested and found not to stick to bins in damp conditions. As a result the council quickly found a new supplier able to print and supply the required stickers.

People who have already received a sticker will now receive a replacement, with everyone who has subscribed so far set to receive their sticker by the end of October 2024.

A 12-month subscription costs £56 per bin and will now cover the period 4 November 2024 to 31 October 2025. A payment window is open until 31 March 2025.

This means that those who have already subscribed will still get 12 months of collections.

Ian Nellins, Shropshire Council’s deputy Leader and Cabinet member with responsibility for waste management, said:

3rd September 2024

You'll now need to subscribe to our garden waste collection service if you'd like us to continue collecting your garden bin. Please note: If your property doesn't currently appear on the drop-down list please try again tomorrow.

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