THE 21-day wait is over for the Abbotsbury Swannery as officials declare that there is no evidence of any new bird flu cases.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) announced that the wild bird control area and the wild bird monitoring area in Dorset will merge.

This means that poultry farmers and bird keepers living within the previous control area around Abbotsbury will be less restricted. It has been three weeks since the last swan tested positive for the lethal H5N1 virus.

Ten mute swans from the swannery tested positive for the disease in the days leading up to January 29.

This meant that bird movements were restricted by a 20km control zone introduced following the outbreak.

Acting chief veterinary officer for Defra Fred Landeg said: "H5N1 appears to have been present in the area for about two months and during this time we have seen only a few deaths in the mute swans.

"We have no evidence of this virus being present in healthy live mute swans or in other species of wild bird.

"There is also no evidence of disease spreading to domestic birds and on this basis we have today merged our control area and monitoring area to form one single monitoring area.

"It is timely to remind everyone that the country remains at a constant low level of risk of the introduction of the highly pathogenic H5N1.

"I therefore urge all bird keepers to remain vigilant for signs of the disease and take measures to isolate kept birds from wild birds."

Swannery manager John Houston said: "This is good news, mainly for local poultry farmers.

"Although it does not make any immediate change in the situation at Abbotsbury it does mean we are heading in the right direction.

"Defra are still testing four swans that died which is a common occurrence this time of year, and if they come out all clear then we should be on track for re-opening the swannery on March 15.

He added: "The problem has not been as bad as we first thought."

The wild bird monitoring area must remain in place for at least 30 days from the last collection of the last positive sample.