CUSTOMERS sitting in a Wolverley pub garden were greeted by a surprise guest when a young sea bird landed next to them.

The gannet found itself 75 miles inland when it appeared by the fence of the Lock Inn next to the canal in Wolverley on Saturday, September 17.

He was rescued by the RSPCA from the canal side on Wolverley Road and taken to a nearby wildlife centre for treatment.

RSPCA inspector Suzi Smith said: “The people in the pub garden were really surprised to see this poor bird - especially as gannets are seabirds and he was found about 75 miles inland. The people in the pub weren’t expecting it - and neither was I!

“He seemed quite relaxed but being a seabird was completely out of place so far inland.

“He was underweight and will need feeding up and some TLC before he can be released back into the wild.

“We are not sure how he got there but he was definitely a long way from home!

“It is lucky the people in the pub garden spotted him and called us. We are hoping he will make a full recovery and be released back in to the wild.”