A dentist has come to the rescue of an animal lover who wanted a souvenir of her favourite bird.

Mandy Rutherford befriended Rupert the cockerel when he was brought to Carla Lane's sanctuary, near Horsted Keynes, where she works.

Rupert's beak was four inches long, eight times normal length, and he had trouble eating so a vet clipped off half.

Mandy, from Hove, decided she wanted to cast it in silver and wear it as a pendant.

Steve Homewood, who works at Brighton-based dentist Christopher Gull, offered to help when he read about Mandy's wish in The Argus.

The dental technician sculpted the pendant by making a mould and filling it with a dental alloy, then gold-plated the underside.

Mandy said: "The necklace is fantastic, utterly gorgeous."