Supermarket mapgie stuck in store 'safely caught'

A magpie which became stuck in a Sainsbury's superstore has been safely removed, a spokesperson said.

Shoppers had been spotting the magpie in the rafters of the Godalming supermarket, with one person having created a Facebook profile for the bird using AI generated images.

Several attempts were made to safely remove the bird, including deploying decoy magpies, before the operation was successfully completed earlier this week, the BBC understands.

A Sainsbury's spokesperson said: "We are grateful to our customers for their patience while we resolved the situation."

Following its safe capture, the magpie is expected to be monitored before being released into the wild.

Staff at the store had been battling to catch the bird for a number of weeks over safety concerns for the magpie, as well as heath and safety fears.

Bird welfare experts described magpies as "very intelligent and hard to catch".

As magpies are legally protected from being harmed, anyone wishing to remove the bird must first apply for a licence to do so.

The licence allows for the use of cages or net traps to catch the birds, before safely releasing them into the wild.

Waverley Borough Council, which previously said it was working with the supermarket to help with the capture of the bird, has been approached for comment.

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