A WOMAN more used to looking after cats was given a shock when she opened her curtains to find two peacocks in her back garden.

Lynn Scarlett woke up yesterday, to find the large birds had set up home in her Rochford garden and were showing no signs of leaving.

Ms Scarlett, who runs the Friendly Boarding Cattery in Lincoln Road, Rochford, has given them some seeds and water.

She said: “I woke up thinking ‘oh my God what the hell is that on the roof?’ “They were making a hell of a racket. They make a really loud noise.

“They are very friendly though, if I opened up my patio door theywould come in the house.

“I am not sure where they have come from.

“They have made themselves comfortable though.

“They were on the roof of the cattery this morning and I have a bungalow and they keep popping up on to that roof as well.

“My six-year-old son, Tyler, especially was quite excited when he got up, it’s not something you see every day.”

Spring is typically the time of year when male peacocks will go in search of a mate, so it seems these two are already courting.

Iain Newby, from the Dangerous and Wild Animal Rescue Facility, said: “I have had a number of reports of stray peacocks in the past few years.

“A lot of people think they can’t fly but they actually can.

“If males haven’t had their wings clipped they will often fly off to try to find a female.”

Sue Schwar, charity founder at the South Essex Wildlife Hospital, said the birds are quite often kept as pets, but can be a nuisance.

She said: “We get loads of calls about them, they’re very good at escaping.

“There are a lot in Margaretting and a whole flock in Brentwood, and they can fly so they do travel.

“But they will have come from somewhere in the area with a decent sized property and they have just wanted out.”