A BIRD of prey gave rescuers a good workout at a sports centre.

The sparrowhawk chased a starling inside the large hall at Eastbourne Sports Park.

Staff left the doors open but the hawk would not leave, so they called the East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service (WRAS).

Rescuers on Thursday evening waited until all the sports activities had finished before trying to catch the bird but they were unsuccessful.

Rescuers Trevor Weeks, Kathy Martyn, Tony Neads, Kai Ahmed and Chris Riddington returned on Friday night to try again.

Mr Weeks said: “Sparrowhawks do not like flying in the dark so generally we try to turn out the lights while they are flying, forcing them to flutter to a lower level where they can then be caught.”

Rescuers used extending poles strapped together, night vision goggles and a spotlight in a bid to catch the bird.

Mr Riddington said: “On the last attempt, we managed to get the hall in complete darkness just with one small beam of light.

“This allowed Trevor to disturb the bird and force it to fly. It flew around slightly before amazingly landing and perching on top of the net head.”

The team then managed to grab the bird and take it back to their centre at Whitesmith, near Lewes, for the night.

It was released back into the wild in Eastbourne on Saturday.