A peacock that ruffled the feathers of police officers and Maidstone residents has returned safely home.

Percy, an adult male, was dropped off at Allington Marina this morning after two police officers escorted him there from Ringlestone.

Last night he was spotted in a garden in Kerry Hill Way, where he was fed pitta bread and porridge oats, before he was seen making a dash down Chatham Road this morning - obstructing bin men in the process.

A builder working on a nearby home managed to catch the bird in Calder Road before handing him over to two police officers, who put him in the back of their vehicle.

Ray Chitty, a berth holder at Allington Marina who sometimes covers the office while the owner is away, was on duty when he saw the ‘arresting’ site of officers driving up in a car and freeing the large bird.

Video: Percy the peacock... released on bail? By Phillip Vallance

He said: “We are talking about one unusual peacock.

“It was surprising to see that, you’d normally expect to see some kid in the back.

“Percy was quite happy and as soon as he was free he was quickly strutting around.

“I believe he originally was in the Allington Castle but I am not sure. The story is he lost his partner, who was killed by a fox, and he was then ousted out by another peacock.

“He found himself in the marina and is a strange character. He forgets he is a peacock and thinks he is a person.

“He has been here for around five years and is pretty vain. If you get a camera out he will display for you. I have never seen a peacock so vain in all my life.

“He does disappear at times so no one was really concerned.

“Nobody really owns Percy. He owns himself.”

It is not known how long Percy had been on his adventure but his roaming was first reported on Tuesday night , when a woman returned home to see him in her garden.

After making enquiries nobody had claimed him so she was thinking of adopting him and giving him a new name - Princess.

Perhaps being startled by his new title, Percy made a bolt and was also witnessed in gardens in Calder Road.

“Nobody really owns Percy. He owns himself” - Ray Chitty

Steve Bell, from Calder Road, watched on as police, worried the peacock could run onto the A229 and endanger motorists, tried to catch the bird.

He said: “I have lived here all my life and I’m always walking my dog along the river.

“I think the peacock lives in a paddock next to the building for King’s School Rowing Club.

“He lives with the geese and swans.”

A police spokesman said while officers do not usually go around offering peacocks lifts, there were concerns it could escape onto the A229 and endanger motorists.

"It was really about road safety" the spokesman added.