Avian flu of the deadly H5N1 strain, which can be passed on to humans, broke out in a poultry farm in Holton, eastern England, yesterday causing the death of 2,600 turkeys prompting authorities to adopt strict movement control measures to stop the spread of infection.

Government vets spent the night and morning gassing 160,000 birds at the Suffolk farm, BBC reported.

A spokeswoman said their carcasses were being transported in "sealed, leak-proof lorries, fully covered with tarpaulin" for destruction at a Staffordshire plant.

Farmers in the restricted area have been told to keep their flocks isolated from wild birds and any movements must be licensed.

The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said yesterday that as many as 159,000 turkeys on the farm will have to be slaughtered.

"The premises were immediately placed under restrictions and an investigation started," Fred Landeg, the government's deputy chief vet said.

Tests in a European Union laboratory in Weybridge have confirmed that the bird flu which killed the turkeys at a Suffolk farm is the H5N1 virus, an EU statement said.

A three-kilometre protection zone and a 10 km surveillance zone has been set up at Holton, which is approximately 17 miles south-west of Lowestoft.

A spokesman for the Bernard Matthews company, which runs the farm in Holton, said none of the affected birds had entered the food chain and there was no risk to public health.