A peacock who fell off a two-storey-high roof is now on the road to recovery after giving its rescuers a “good runaround”.

The peacock fell into a garden of an empty property in Elizabeth Place, Shotton Colliery, a village in Durham on May 6, after being spooked.

The bird was thought to have been dead, however, when RSPCA inspector Christine Nisbet and animal rescue officer Krissy Raine arrived, the peacock could move and even gave them “a good runaround”.

Ms Nisbet said: “Given he had fallen from two storeys, he was still very mobile and he gave us a good runaround – but we managed to catch him eventually.

“We took him to a vet and he had a scrape on his foot, but no further injuries – he was very lucky and it was important to get him checked over.

“It was an interesting job – peacocks are, after all, not your everyday bird!”

The peacock is currently being looked after at a special animal rescue centre.

Not much is known of where he came from and no one has yet come forward to claim him as a pet.

Members of the public have been advised not to handle peacocks due to their sharp claws.