Chicken-in-the-loo

The chicken feels at home in the public loo

The public toilets in a Cornish village have been taken over by a chicken who is refusing to move.

According to residents in Malpas, near Truro, the plucky bird has been in the area for several weeks but has only recently moved into the local loo.

The hen, which has not yet been named, shows no sign of leaving and has become very protective of her new home.

She chases anyone who tries to use the toilet and has even managed to scare off local dogs.

Fox chase

Local resident Sue Currie says she thinks the hen escaped from its home after being scared off by a fox.

She told BBC Radio Cornwall: "The chicken came to Malpas six weeks ago.

"I think its two companions were killed by a fox, but it is a very wily chicken and survived.

"It has been roosting in various people's gardens and it's finally found its way to the public loo, where it's residing at its summer palace."

Another resident, Rod Bell, said the bird had tried living in several places but found the local loo the most comfortable.

He said: "It went over to the flats because it obviously got better fed, but it's come back over here now.

"It gets its bit of corn around the back of the toilets but it's gone quite wild now."