PICKET Twenty’s peacock predicament has been put to rest after a piece of improvisation led to the capture of the birds.

Test Valley Borough Council (TVBC) stepped in earlier this week to capture one of the pair of peacocks which have been roaming the estate in recent months.

A trap was set using an old polling booth, a recording of alluring mating calls and the quick reflexes of Rod Mason, TVBC animal welfare officer.

The second peacock has also since been caught.

The presence of the birds has split opinions of residents on the estate. Some want the birds to remain, while others have complained of losing sleep due to their nightly mating calls.

The birds have also been spotted flying onto people’s houses, into their gardens and even in one case into a family’s front room.

Portfolio holder for housing and environmental health, councillor Phil Bundy said: “We understand that the peacocks were loved by some residents of Picket Twenty but were ruffling the feathers of others, as they were causing damage and noise disruption.

“While there was no duty for the council to intervene, in the end we felt it was right to do so, both for the birds’ safety and residents’ wellbeing.

“Despite not having access to a safe space initially, we used an old polling booth to create a trap and with the aid of some amorous mating calls our animal welfare officer managed to safely capture the first bird.”

Both of the birds have since been caught and reunited by the council.