SOME birds will do anything for a free meal and a greedy heron was no exception.

After stealing its fish supper it decided to stop off on its flight home to eat his ill-gotten elevenses.

The bird perched on a nearby roof to tuck into the meal stolen from a nearby fish pond.

But its antics were caught on film by budding wildlife photographer, Tina Knight, as she visited a friend at 11.30am in Clough Fold, Stoneclough.

Tina, who owns the Wells House Kindergarten and Nursery School, in Ringley Road, said: "It was absolutely massive, I would say it was a good 4ft tall, it really struck me how big it was. He had obviously stolen somebody's Koi Carp and the fish was still wriggling."

Luckily, Tina, aged 40, happened to have her digital camera in her handbag at the time and she managed to capture the scene.

"It was just so surreal," said Tina.

"This massive bird with an enormous gold fish in its mouth, perched on the top of a roof. It was lovely."

She says that she is now thinking of putting a wanted poster up in the nursery for the rogue bird, which is wanted for eating expensive and rare fish.

The heron is a protected bird under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and owners of ornamental fish ponds are urged to use preventative measures to protect their fish.

An estimated 15,000 pairs of herons nest in the UK.