A parrot who flew into a Richmond pub garden and nicked some chips is looking for a new home.

Drinkers at the White Horse, in Worple Way, got into a bit of a flap when the African grey parrot began tucking into leftover chips on July 26.

The bird, which was nicknamed Mr Chips, was rescued by RSPCA officer Tom Goldsmith but attempts to find his owner have been unsuccessful.

The RSPCA are now looking for a new home for Mr Chips, with an owner who is experienced at keeping the birds and ideally has other parrots, as the creatures are very sociable birds, according to Mr Goldsmith.

Mr Goldsmith said: “Apparently people in the pub at first assumed the parrot lived there when he flew in - and started sitting on their shoulders.

“They were less happy, though, when he then started to pinch some of their chips, so went in and complained to the barman. He spotted straight away that this was an escaped pet and confined the bird until I arrived.

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“African greys are sought after birds - so I very much doubt this bird has been abandoned. He is very tame and obviously well cared for, but he would not have survived long in the wild so is lucky he was spotted when he was.

“The most likely scenario is that someone left the cage door, and maybe a window, open as it was a hot day and didn’t realise the bird was likely to escape.

“However - as he wasn’t ringed or microchipped we have no way of knowing where he came from. Apparently, he is prone to some appreciative wolf whistles when members of staff walk past which is always nice for the ego.”

Anyone interested in rehoming Mr Chips should call 0300 123 0741.