By Gordon Berry

A START of what could be a slow return to normality for people living in the area around Cellardyke and Anstruther may have been signalled at the weekend.

Police have closed the vehicle stop points around the three-kilometre “protection zone,” set up after potentially deadly bird flu was found in a dead swan at Cellardyke harbour last week.

If no more infected birds are found, the protection zone restrictions could be lifted as soon as April 20. The wider 10-kilometre surveillance zone would be maintained at least until a full veterinary risk assessment has been carried out.

As locals, experts and politicians all express the hope that the find is a one-off, the force made clear that it made the move following visits to all relevant premises within the zone by officials from the Scottish Veterinary Service, Fife Council and the Scottish Executive.

Over the weekend around 70 extra staff, including animal health officers, were working in the protection and surveillance zones, but there have still been no further reports of infection from tested birds.

The virus is almost identical to a version found when more than 100 birds were affected on Ruegen Island, off north-east Germany, in February, although no links to the Fife case have been established.

Experts are still unsure of how the infected bird, a mute swan of the type usually native to the area, ended up in a badly decomposed state on a slipway at a tiny East Neuk harbour. However it is thought likely that the bird never set foot on dry land in Fife.

Tides could have caused it to drift from far out in the North Sea, or down the coast from the Montrose area where native mute swans and similar migrant visitors mingle every winter.

Tests on a number of other dead birds found in the area have proved negative. Laboratories have been prioritising local reports and will be working flat out through the Easter weekend.

Although it has been continually emphasised that it is difficult and rare for the disease to pass to humans, medical staff will keep in close contact with anyone in the Cellardyke area who might have come into contact with the infected bird. If necessary, blood tests will be carried out to check for antibodies.

Fife Council has offered advice to more than 2000 households as the area continues to come under a worldwide spotlight following the discovery of the UK’s first wild bird case of the H5N1 avian flu virus.

Over the weekend the council distributed a letter from chief executive Douglas Sinclair which explains a number of facts about the disease and answers frequently asked questions.

Mr Sinclair added that the council’s specific role is to support the agencies involved by, for example, monitoring the movement of birds, helping to enforce the restriction zones and running countryside ranger patrols.

“By giving everyone the information direct … we hope it will help allay any fears they may have.

“The key message is not to panic. Avian flu is a bird disease, not a human one. It is perfectly safe to continue using open spaces—for instance, the countryside and beaches—we just need to follow some simple precautions.

“There are a number of information and advice routes now set up and I would urge people to use these if they have any concerns or doubts.

“The Scottish Executive, DEFRA and NHS are all giving out a very clear message that there is no need for public concern.

Fife Council’s local services centre in Ladywalk, Anstruther, is open 9 am- 4 pm Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and 9 am-1 pm on Wednesdays where help is available.