BIRD-LOVER Arthur Sealey has begun smashing holes in his newly-decorated home - to help save an owl trapped in his chimney.

The brown owl has been trapped since the weekend and its wimpering has kept Arthur and his wife Jackie awake every night since.

Arthur has tried everything to coax the bird out, but it has refused to budge.

He has smashed a hole through the chimney breast in his newly-decorated bedroom with a hammer and chisel to tempt it out, but to no avail.

The couple, who have lived at the house in West Ashling, near Chichester, for 14 years, have tried other methods to tempt the owl.

They placed a plate of corned beef on a ledge outside the hole and tried to pull it out themselves, but with no joy.

The couple are so concerned they have called in the RSPCA after their third sleepless night in a row. Inspectors were due to visit the house last night.

Arthur said: "The noise is just horrendous, a mixture of dismay and terror.

"The owl is about 2ft from the top of the chimney and is wimpering.

"We just don't know what to do. I don't know whether it is injured but it should be able to get through the hole. It is big enough for a cat to get through.

"The screeching has been terrible and always happens at the same time.

"I don't know what sort of owl it is but it is reddish-brown in colour and quite big.

"I did manage to touch it with my hands but I was very nervous as I didn't know what sort of peck I would get."

Jackie said: "When we first spotted the bird we just saw the wing.

"We used torches and I saw it had huge brown eyes. It jumped out of the way onto a ledge.

"He cannot fly inside there, though, because the chimney is in zigzags and doesn't go straight up.

"We are just hoping the bird will work its way down.

"We are both bird-lovers and we don't like to think of it being injured.

"I have opened the bedroom window and hope it will come down out of the hole and fly away."

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