Why people in West Berkshire are painting pheasants white

Bid to stop birds being run over by cars in the dark

Villagers across West Berkshire have started painting pheasants white in an attempt to stop the gamebirds from being run over in the dark on country roads.

The bird-brained creatures are known for shooting out in front of traffic without warning and animal lovers have today (Monday) begun a campaign to save them.

The picture above was taken this morning (April 1) and villagers have vowed to paint as many pheasants as they can white before lunchtime today.

One told Newburytoday: "We're fed up with having to give tweetment to injured birds! Sorry for that, telling bird puns is usually harmless, but when you start mocking birds, things can quickly get unpheasant."