'A hawk has taken two hats from my head'

The 91-year-old has made a chinstrap out of a shoe lace to avoid losing another hat

A hawk said to have been attacking residents in a village has taken two woolly hats from the head of a 91-year-old man.

Glyn Parry from Flamstead, Hertfordshire, said: "It worries me a bit, if I didn't have my hat on it would have tried to get at my head."

Residents said the bird had been in the village for a couple of months, with reports of attacks over the last week or so.

A spokesperson for nearby Whipsnade Zoo confirmed the bird was not theirs, but said: "Birds of prey aren't actively hostile towards humans, but may attack if provoked or if they feel threatened if a person got too close."

Mr Parry said his hats had been taken on his morning stroll to get his newspaper

Mr Parry said every morning he walked to his local shop to buy his daily newspaper.

The first time his hat was taken was last week. He said he thought "it was just a youngster pulling a prank" after "tapping him on the shoulder".

The next day, the hawk pulled off another hat from the 91-year-old's head before flying to a nearby chimney - taking the headwear with him.

"It was such an unusual thing, so I thought it won't happen again, but it did."

To avoid losing another hat, Mr Parry has fashioned his own chinstrap out of an old shoelace.

Mr Parry's daughter Lynn Campbell said: "He's ran out of decent woolly hats now."

His daughter, Lynn Campbell, told BBC Three Counties Radio: "He's ran out of decent woolly hats now - we're going to get him a new one."

Hertfordshire Police said: "Officers are aware of this bird, but there is nothing further for police at this time. However, the public are urged not to feed the bird and we are working with local experts to try and safely deal with the situation."