A EUROPE-WIDE ban on wild bird imports was set to be approved in Brussels today following the discovery of bird flu in Britain.

EU chief vets were meeting to agree on the curb, which could be imposed within days by the European Commission.

Britain previously opposed a ban but changed its stance after the bird-flu death on Thursday of a quarantined parrot imported from Surinam in South America.

Today the company that imported the parrot, Pegasus Birds, based in Little Warley, Essex, insisted it had done nothing wrong and complained that "lies" were being told about the business.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs revealed today that 270 birds had been culled at the Pegasus quarantine centre, which is at a secret location away from its main site.

They are thought to include Taiwanese birds from which the parrot caught the lethal H5N1 form of the virus.

Tests were being carried out on the dead birds to determine how many were infected.

EU vets have imposed a range of restrictions affecting bird markets and shows, and birds kept at zoos.

Cases of H5N1 bird flu have been detected in Russia, Turkey and Romania. So far the disease in Europe has been restricted to birds, but experts fear the virus could mutate to transfer between humans. Estimates of the number of people who could die if a human pandemic hit Britain range between 50,000 and 750,000.

Brett Hammond, the owner of Pegasus Birds, was convicted of VAT fraud and jailed for 18 months at Knightsbridge Crown Court in February 1997. The sentence was reduced to 12 months on appeal. He also featured in a BBC Radio 4 investigation about the importation of wild cockatoos from Indonesia as well as a TV investigation by Roger Cook about a illegal bird imports.

Cook discovered that 150 of a batch of 170 of his birds were dying of infectious diseases.

Mr Hammond has refused to answer questions about bird flu.

But a senior manager at Pegasus, who declined to give his name, dismissed reports that the quarantined birds had been held at the company's main site.

He said: "A quarantine station is not allowed to be on commercial premises where birds are kept or offered for sale. The reported diseaserisks are not true." The senior manager added: "The statement from Defra clearly states the disease was contained with the quarantine centre and there were no breaches of rules and regulations.

"The involvement of Mr Hammond and his family has been despicable."

Pegasus staff denied that the bird died there after transfer from Heathrow.

It had tested negative for avian flu before it entered Britain in a consignment of 148 birds on 16 September. Eleven days later a batch of 218 birds from Taiwan were moved into quarantine, and two parrots were found dead last Thursday. Tests on tissue samples from both birds confirmed the H5N1 strain.

Debby Reynolds, the Government's chief veterinary adviser, confirmed that the birds had been kept in Essex and had shared space.

Defra declined to confirm or deny that Pegasus Birds was at the centre of the bird flu scare.

RAVENS at the Tower of London will be caged if bird flu spreads across Britain, their keeper said today.

Special cages are to be built in one of the 20 prison towers to protect the ravens.

The Tower's ravenmaster, Derrick Coyle, said: "It may sound like we are going over the top but we can't be too sure. I don't want to be the first ravenmaster to lose all the ravens."

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