NEW rules which restrict movements of pigeons in the wake of the bird flu outbreak could spell the death of cross-Channel racing, an expert fancier claimed today.

A ban on pigeon racing from outside Britain has been lifted after 18 months - but government health officials say all returning birds must be kept in isolation for seven days.

This will have a serious effect on Saturday race meetings because birds flying from France to Dorset one week cannot compete the next, according to Neville Walbridge of Portland.

Mr Walbridge, 68, who has kept the birds since he was four and is a former president of Weymouth Pigeon Club, has accused the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) of being 'bloody-minded' and is calling for the isolation period to be reduced to five days for the sake of the sport.

The racing programme is organised in such a way to allow pigeons to build up their confidence and fitness over several weeks so they can then compete in a long slog from southern France or Spain in the final race.

But the present system would only allow the birds to fly back from abroad every other week even if they're fit and well.

Mr Walbridge claims this would create vast losses in France and increase the risk of them catching disease.

"It's a bit like asking a marathon runner to train once a week every other week," he said.

Paying £30 a time for the return of lost birds is also a concern for fanciers, many of whom are OAPs and on a limited budget.

Mr Walbridge also fears local clubs could fold because they won't be receiving regular payments from entrants to transport their pigeons.

He said: "We're as keen as Defra to keep disease out because we know it would be the end of pigeon racing in this country.

"But this new rule means pigeons can't be trained properly.

"People are jumping up and down and Defra is refusing to move on the issue."

The end of the higher risk autumn migration coupled with the absence of evidence of disease in wild birds in Europe has led to the ban being lifted, subject to conditions.

A Defra spokesman said the seven-day isolation period was assessed to be a safe margin considering the World Organisation for Animal Health maximum incubation period for notifiable avian influenza is 21 days and the average incubation period is three to five days.

The spokesman said: "This measure reduces this risk but does not eliminate the risk; it makes the assumption that pigeons will show clinical signs of disease within the average incubation period."