Police received concerns over Barney the owl (Image: Liverpool Echo)

A plastic owl which has caused a stir in a community is "nothing malicious," police have confirmed. Merseyside Police were called to an address on Woodchurch Road in Birkenhead this week following concerns about an ornamental owl in a garden near to a school.

A spokesperson for the force said rumours were circulating the owl was fitted with a hidden camera. Following enquiries, police confirmed the owl is nothing more than a decoy to scare away birds.

Paul Thompson, from Birkenhead , had placed the owl, called Barney, in the tree outside his home last year to scare away the pigeons after a spate of problems last summer. Hem spoke to the ECHO yesterday to prove he had nothing to hide after police "banged" on his

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