Bears shot in 'reverse Goldilocks' drama

Polar bears are normally protected in Norway

Three polar bears who broke into houses and stole food in an apparent reversal of the fairytale Goldilocks have been shot dead by police in a remote part of Norway.

The trio - a female with two young aged about 18 months - were killed after raiding at least 10 cabins in Colesbukta on the polar island of Spitzbergen.

The local paper, Svalsbardposten, reported that the bears' bloodstained fur showed that they had got into the cabins by breaking windows.

A spokesman from the local government office told the Reuters news agency that the bears had been shot because they posed a threat to public safety.

Examinations of the bears' stomachs found they had been feasting on packet soup and noodles.

Polar bears are normally protected under law on the island, which lies 1,300 kilometres (810 miles) from the North Pole, unless they are considered a danger to people.

In the traditional fairytale, Goldilocks is a young girl who stumbles across a cottage owned by bears.

She eats their porridge, breaks a chair and goes to sleep in one of their beds while the bears are away. But she manages to flee before she is discovered.