An abandoned cockerel has been rescued by villagers.

The bird was spotted strutting around Bretforton on Tuesday afternoon (March 21).

Residents of the village, including former Wychavon district councillor Matt Snape, banded together to help the cockerel, cornering him into a box before being taken to a nearby sanctuary.

Mr Snape said: “The last thing I expected on a Tuesday afternoon was to find a cockerel on my drive.

“But thanks to one local resident and one of my neighbours, we managed to ensure the animal was safely placed into a box and fed.

“I am glad that a hen sanctuary in Atch Lench is looking after the bird now, but it is truly despicable that someone would do this to a bird once it is deemed useless.

“The person who did this should be ashamed of themselves, I don’t know how they sleep at night.”