Party of marauding peacocks terrorises the village of Eaton

Up to four of the exotic birds have been spotted strutting through Eaton and although their colourful tails have been delighting some, not all villagers are happy with the unexpected guests.

The peacocks have been annoying locals by helping themselves to bird feeders, destroying gardens and allotments and being noisy.

Eaton has been beset with a gang of peacocks, according to locals (Image: Michael Woodhouse)

Michael and June Woodhouse, who live in Marston Lane, encountered one of the birds in front of their home.

“One came wandering up the driveway and June started accosting it, saying ‘what on earth are you doing here?” Michael said.

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"She had a word with it as it was trying to get through our gate to eat our plants and then shooed it off down the lane.

"Nobody has any idea where they came from and they keep coming back."

Marston Lane, Eaton, has seen plenty of the birds in recent weeks (Image: Newsquest)

“As well as making noise at all hours of the day, the peacocks are eating any and all vegetation they can find, destroying gardens and allotments in the area.”

June added: "They've got to eat something.

"But when they get comfortable somewhere they dig in, so we try to get them to move on to reduce damage."

Michael and June Woodhouse chased one peacock off their driveways (Image: Newsquest)

Next door, neighbours Rachel and Tim said although the birds are beautiful, they don't want them in their garden or loitering around the street.

"They're very nice but not on my patch, thank you very much," Tim said.

Not all in the village have been anti-peacocks, with some welcoming their new neighbours.

One shopkeeper at Cringleford Stores said: "I never hear anyone complaining about them being a nuisance.

The peacocks are causing damage to people's gardens (Image: Michael Woodhouse)

"They just do their own thing."

WHERE DID THEY COME FROM? 

Peacocks have long been a popular ornamental bird and many have escaped captivity and roam freely.

Some have suggested these fowl escaped from a farm in Mulbarton, while others say they've come from further away.

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In April, two Indian Blue peacocks were spotted perched on the roof of a home in Locksley Road, Tuckswood, just one mile away. While peacocks are capable of flight, they can only fly short distances. 

Not everyone dislikes the birds being in their backyards, however (Image: Newsquest)

A PARTY OF PEACOCKS

Norfolk is no stranger to all things peacock. 

These exotic birds have been known to mysteriously appear in people's gardens and last April a bevy of peafowl took a particular fancy to gardens in Dereham.

In March, plans to construct a two-bed home in a plot off the A47 in East Winch, near King's Lynn, were thwarted when nearby homeowners feared it would force peacocks off the land.

One self-proclaimed animal lover who lives nearby said: "There are many peacocks and peahens that travel from Church Lane over the gardens down towards Lynn Road.

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"They are beautiful wild creatures who together with the nesting bird population would be greatly disturbed by this application."

Also in March, more than a dozen of the birds suddenly disappeared from East Winch, prompting speculation they had been stolen. 

At the time police said they had received no reports regarding the birds, but local councillors expressed concerns.

Others believed the birds may have fallen victim to the traffic which thunders through the village on the nearby A47.