A case of avian flu has been confirmed on a duck breeding farm in East Yorkshire, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has said.

Defra said there is at least one case of the virus at the farm in the Driffield area - but insisted the risk to public health is "very low".

It confirmed the entire flock - about 6,000 ducks - would be culled as a result.

A Defra spokesperson said: "We have confirmed a case of avian flu on a duck breeding farm in Yorkshire - the public health risk is very low and there is no risk to the food chain.

"We are taking immediate and robust action which includes introducing a 10km (6 mile) restriction zone and culling all poultry on the farm to prevent any potential spread of infection.

"A detailed investigation is ongoing. We have a strong track record of controlling and eliminating previous outbreaks of avian flu in the UK."

The protection zone set up around the farm. Pic: Defra

Bird flu, or avian flu, is an infectious viral illness that spreads among birds. In rare cases it can affect humans.

There are 16 different avian flu types. The H5N1 strain is the one that causes the most concern because it is the most virulent and deadliest.

H5N1 has killed more than 400 people, mainly in Southeast Asia, since first appearing in 2003. Another strain of bird flu, H7N9, has claimed more than 170 lives since emerging in 2013.

Defra said the type discovered at the duck farm is H5 - but not H5N1. The exact strain will be confirmed after final test results due today.

The NHS website states: "There are many types of bird flu, most of which are harmless to humans. However, two types have caused serious concern in recent years. These are the H5N1 and H7N9 viruses.

"Although these viruses don't infect people easily and are usually not transmitted from human to human, several people have been infected around the world, leading to a number of deaths.

"Other bird flu viruses (particularly H7N7 and H9N2) have also infected people, but these have rarely caused severe illness."

Public Health England is assisting Defra in the investigation of the outbreak at the farm in Yorkshire.

A spokesman said: "Based on what we know about this specific strain of avian influenza the risk to human health in this case is considered extremely low."

Meanwhile, Dutch officials on Sunday banned the transport of poultry in the Netherlands after the discovery of the H5N1 strain.

The "highly pathogenic" form of avian influenza discovered at a farm in the centre of the country is very dangerous to birds and "contamination can occur from animals to humans," the Dutch government said in a statement.