A mass cull of poultry has been ordered after an outbreak of bird flu on a farm in Yorkshire.

A 3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone have been put in place around the farm near Hornsea in the East Riding of Yorkshire and all the fowl on the property will be destroyed, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said.

The discovery of the H5N5 variant of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) on the farm means DEFRA has increased the risk warning for wild birds “from medium to high”.

The virus is typically spread through birds’ faeces, mucus and saliva.

“All bird keepers are urged to remain vigilant and take action to protect their birds following a further increase in the avian influenza (‘bird flu’) risk levels in Great Britain,” DEFRA said in a statement.

Bird flu may be evolving under the radar

Bird flu has killed hundreds of millions of birds around the globe in recent years, and has increasingly spread to mammals, raising concerns it may lead to human-to-human transmission.

The last avian flu outbreak in the UK happened in February and was described as the country’s largest ever.

That was the H5N1 strain, while the latest outbreak in Hornsea is the H5N5 strain.

In July, US scientists said their was “strong evidence” bird flu has spread from mammals to humans for the first time, marking another step in the evolution of the deadly virus.

Analysis concluded a Texas farm worker who tested positive for the H5N1 virus caught it from sick dairy cattle.

Although there have been other people infected with the virus in recent years – including some who have died – they all acquired it from birds.

The Queen is unwell with a chest infection and has withdrawn from her engagements this week, Buckingham Palace has announced.

A palace spokesperson said Camilla’s doctors “have advised a short period of rest” and added that “with great regret, Her Majesty has therefore had to withdraw from her engagements for this week”.

They added the Queen “very much hopes to be recovered in time to attend this weekend’s Remembrance events as normal”.

“She apologises to all those who may be inconvenienced or disappointed as a result,” they said.

It is understood the Queen is currently resting at home and is under doctor’s supervision.

Birgitte, the Duchess of Gloucester, has stepped in on Camilla’s behalf to attend the annual opening of the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey on Thursday.

The Queen has also withdrawn from a Buckingham Palace reception for Olympic and Paralympic athletes hosted by the King on the same evening.

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Camilla recently returned from an overseas tour of Australia and Samoa. No further details regarding her illness or treatment have been released.

A proposed ban on vaping and smoking in pub gardens will not go ahead, the health secretary has confirmed.

Wes Streeting said the Labour government would not press ahead with the idea after it was floated over the summer and caused an outcry within the hospitality industry.

Back in August, Sir Keir Starmer said his government was considering a ban on outdoor smoking in a bid to bring down the 80,000 preventable deaths caused by smoking in the UK each year.

The ban would have covered smoking in outdoor restaurants and outside sports venues, hospitals, nightclubs, and in some small parks.

But speaking to Sky News this morning, Mr Streeting confirmed the U-turn and said: “We’re not going ahead or not proposing to go ahead with a [smoking] ban on outdoor hospitality.”

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He said the policy idea was a “leak of government discussion” over the summer and promoted a “really good debate about whether or not it would be proportionate” when taking into account the public health benefits, but also the potential downsides.

“I think people know the UK hospitality sector has taken a battering in recent years,” he added.

“And we don’t want to add to their pressure – so we’re not proposing to go ahead with an outdoor hospitality ban at this time.”

However, Mr Streeting did say that the smoking ban would be extended to some outdoor spaces, including schools, hospitals and children’s playgrounds.

It comes as the government today introduces a “groundbreaking” bill that aims to create the “first-ever smoke-free generation”.

The Tobacco and Vapes bill, which was first introduced by Rishi Sunak but was dropped due to the general election, will prevent anyone who was born on or after 1 January 2009 from buying tobacco.

The ban will effectively raise the legal age for buying cigarettes in England by one year every year, until it applies to the whole population.

The policy to create a “smoke-free generation” was seen as a defining one of Mr Sunak‘s premiership and caused controversy within Tory ranks, particularly the more libertarian wing of the party.

The bill will also create limits on the sale and marketing of vapes to children, while separate environmental legislation will be introduced to ban the sale and supply of single-use vapes by next summer.

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The health secretary said “clamping down on the scourge of youth vaping” with licensing, tougher enforcement and a ban on the marketing of vapes to children and young people was “happily, an area of broad cross-party consensus”.

“I first proposed the generational ban for children, when I was the shadow health secretary,” he said.

“To my delight and surprise, Rishi Sunak took it up as prime minister and Conservative leader.

“I hope that cross-party support will sustain a new leader of the Conservative Party, but we’ll find out in the coming weeks.”