The British government said on Tuesday it would lift measures it had introduced to stop the spread of avian influenza, reported Reuters.

Avian influenza risk levels have been reduced, the government's Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) said in a statement.

The change, which will come into effect on April 18, means poultry and other captive birds will no longer need to be housed and can be kept outside unless they are in a "Protection Zone".

The restriction, which applied across England and Wales, was announced in October last year.