A bird of prey which had been feasting on Worthing's pigeons has been caged.

Expert falconer Paul Davis trapped the escaped red-tailed buzzard in Broadwater Cemetery, South Farm Road, Worthing, with a snare yesterday.

The buzzard had been shocking people around the town in recent weeks as it swooped into gardens and battled with local crows and seagulls.

The bird was feeding on pigeons, squirrels and rabbits.

Animal rescuers had made dozens of attempts to catch it and appealed for people to watch out in case it got hurt.

Mr Davis heard about the escaped buzzard on the Independent Bird Register website and spent two days luring it into the snare.

He said: "The web site said it had not been reported missing but we have found out who the owner is and we are trying to get hold of him.

"There were so many squirrels, rabbits and pigeons in the cemetery, it would have been quite happy there for another year. It was bird of prey heaven."