Police were called to Carhampton village centre last Sunday when a large bird, identified as an emu, was seen running down the main street.

At first it was thought it had probably escaped from Tropiquaria Zoo, some three miles down the A39, but the zoo reported that its three emus were safe in their enclosure. Further inquiries revealed that the bird probably came from a smallholding on the edge of the village where it was kept as a pet.

A spokesman for Minehead and West Somerset Neighbourhood Policing said: “The emu was safely contained when it went into someone’s garden and was returned to its owner. It was an interesting call. There’s never a dull moment in this job!”