Raucous peacock ravages town's veg patches

An unclaimed male peacock has become the talk of a rural community, having ravaged vegetable patches and woken neighbours with his alarming early morning calls.

Percy, as he's been named, first appeared in Marlborough in Wiltshire earlier this summer and has since been pictured on roofs and in gardens.

In addition to disrupting sleep, he's disrupted the local ecosystem, challenging cats and pigeons that stray into his territory.

He has even taking to pecking on doors in what are deemed to be attempts to gain even more food.

Resident Eric Gilbert said the bird had an apparently boundless appetite.

"It does like a breakfast off my runner beans, and a couple of mornings I found it in the middle of my lettuce patch, having a breakfast of my lettuce leaves," he said.

"It is quite vocal. People do find it gets them up about half past five in the morning with quite a raucous sound."

Neighbour Angela Newberry has also had the pleasure of regular visits.

"Very early in the morning, he taps on the window for food," she said.

"He's very annoying, because he's got no snooze button."

She said she does not feed Percy because "he helps himself to my veg trug anyway, so I don't need to".

Another neighbour, Frances Hughes, said that Percy was very picky, seemingly feasting on the most prized parts of gardens.

"I think he's quite keen on vegetables but he only does five star dining," she said.

"He's certainly eating bulbs. He has destroyed a neighbour's vegetable patch."

The neighbours have even set up a group chat to alert each other to Percy's movements.

And while the peacock has divided opinion, locals agree it would be strange if he were to leave.

Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.