A ROW is rumbling in sleepy Silverdale over the vexed issue of peacocks!

Five peacocks who have been roaming free in the village since the 70s made national news this week after being moved to a local wildlife park.

Some villagers are up in arms over the eviction, while others welcome a return to the quiet life after the birds were blamed for several acts of vandalism.

A group of shopkeepers claim the birds made a great contribution to village life, were synonymous with the village and helped attract tourists to the area of outstanding natural beauty.

But other residents claim that the animals, which have been living wild around the village for the past five years after their owners left, have been responsible for numerous incidents.

These range from destroying flowerbeds to wrecking a conservatory.

The National Trust made the decision to move the peacocks further a field after a string of complaints.

They say that, despite offering the birds to anyone in the village who could provide a home for them, no new owners came forward.

This forced them to move the creatures to pastures new.

The birds were originally brought to Bank House Farm in the village and lived in the grounds of the property, which is now owned by the trust.

The news featured in a North-West edition of a national newspaper earlier this week.