POLICE and immigration officers who raided a North-East chicken farm yesterday were horrified to discover hundreds of dead or dying birds.

More than 2,000 dead, dying or diseased chickens were found in three rearing sheds in the early morning swoop at the farm and packaging plant.

Three foreign nationals were also arrested at the former Gibson Poultry Packing plant at Cockfield, in Teesdale, County Durham, under the Immigration Act.

An Iraqi, whose asylum application had failed, was later released. A spokesman for Durham Police said they were powerless to hold the man under the present law. A man of Pakistani origin was expected to be deported along with a woman of Russian origin, arrested on suspicion of theft, the spokesman added.

A warrant had been issued by local magistrates after it was suspected there was stolen property on the farm.

Police recovered a two-year-old blue E-class Mercedes Benz car, believed to have been stolen from the Manchester area last year.

The RSPCA, a vet and trading standards officers were also called as back-up. Many of the birds will have to be destroyed following veterinary advice.

The processing plant has been the subject of residents' complaints regarding the pungent smell and flies for several years.

But despite assurances given by new owner Saleh Askarian, who took over the business in the middle of August, many felt the situation was deteriorating even further.

Parish councillor Neville Singleton said that the smell had been getting worse. "It used to make people sick - I'm not joking," he said.

"For the poultry to die like that is awful. Hopefully now the environmental health people will sit up and take notice."

Mr Askarian said last month that he had spent £220,000 on improvements, with at least £8,000 being spent on cleaning agents and chemicals.

"I have really cleaned up this place and have nothing to hide," he said.

John Pearson, Teesdale District Council's environmental health officer, said last night that he had visited the farm in response to complaints about the smell.

He said: "Animal welfare is not the function of the district council. Of course, if I'd seen anything the matter I would have reported it.

"However, when I visited I was not looking out for anything specific like that."

In 1993, RSPCA officials had to step in to run the farm, then called the Alamgir Farm, after 10,000 chickens died of neglect.