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Rhea named after Chris Rea on the run after escaping from farm

Police are searching for this bird after it he 'gave it the legs'. Pic: Thames Valley Police/Twitter
Police are searching for this bird after it he 'gave it the legs'. Pic: Thames Valley Police/Twitter

A rhea is on the run in south Oxfordshire after escaping from a farm.

Thames Valley Police were called at 11:47am on Sunday to help catch the feathered renegade, after it was spotted running in the road at Chiltern Bank, Peppard Common.

The force said the bird is named Chris Rhea in a nod to the Driving Home For Christmas singer Chris Rea.

Thames Valley Police said they believe the rhea belongs to someone who owns a farm in the area and it is unclear how it escaped.

The flightless birds, which can grow up to 1.7m tall (67in), are native to South America and are a distant relative of the ostrich and the emu.

A single police crew was called to locate the bird in south Oxfordshire, which was last seen sprinting across fields in the Sonning Common area.

Thames Valley Police Roads Policing said in a tweet: "Our own take on #HotFuzz!

"This fella on the loose causing a few road isses in Sonning Common, when we approached him he gave it the legs!

"'Offender' outstanding, last seen across the fields!"