No action over Burns' monkey coat

Pete Burns wore the coat in Channel 4's Celebrity Big Brother

Singer Pete Burns will not be prosecuted over a monkey fur coat, the Crown Prosecution Service has said.

Experts had examined the coat after police seized it from the Celebrity Big Brother house when Burns claimed it was made from gorilla fur.

It was found to be monkey fur, but police checked whether any importation offences had been committed by Burns.

"There is no evidence to suggest that this garment was imported illegally," the Crown Prosecution Service said.

Burns' garment caused outrage from his fellow contestants in Channel 4's reality show and criticism from those outside.

Police seized the item following complaints from viewers.

It was examined by experts at the Natural History Museum, who concluded it was made from black and white colobus monkeys, which are native to Africa.

It has been illegal to import their fur since 1975 but it is not illegal to own it.

The CPS said in a statement that the coat was in a poor condition, and it was believed the pelts used to make it were likely to have been imported into the UK in the 1930s or 1940s.

A spokeswoman for Hertfordshire Police, which currently has the coat, said it would be returned to the singer shortly.