A series of horrifying photos have been released showing the huge scale of an "unprecedented wildlife tragedy" as a bird flu outbreak devastates the Farne Islands.
The scenic islands off the Northumberland coast are home to 23 species, including puffins, with 200,000 birds living there. But since the outbreak, rangers wearing white protective suits have so far collected more than 3,000 dead birds for incineration.
They also fear that many thousands more have succumbed to the deadly disease and fallen off the cliffs into the North Sea. The Farnes, which are looked after by the National Trust, are an internationally-important habitat for the species that live there.
