Sheep on Cambridge rooftop cause widespread baa-musement

The sheep are on a roof three floors up from ground level

Two sheep photographed on a rooftop in Cambridge have caused bemusement on social media.

A photo taken from Mill Lane shows the animals standing on a small roof peering into a window.

Questions about "why" and "how" were asked on Facebook after the photo was shared by a university lecturer.

However, the sheep's owner has confirmed the pair are in fact life-sized models which are occasionally taken down for a jet-wash.

The pair can only be seen from surrounding windows

The pair have apparently been on the roof for a number of years, but the spot, on Little St Mary's Lane, is shielded from most people's view.

But when Cambridge University economics professor, Chryssi Giannitsarou, began working on the top floor of a library on Mill Lane this month, she was surprised to see the sheep staring back at her.

"It was indeed a very funny thing to see," she said.

"It took me a good few seconds to realise [they were models] when I saw them out of the window. They are very realistic."

Sometimes the sheep are taken out to be pressure-washed in the street

Prof Giannitsarou also commented on how "clean and neat" the pair looked.

The secret of their pristine appearance is the occasional jet-washing on the street outside, owner Nicky Woodruff said.

She said the sheep - named Hillary and Billary - used to be in her garden, but when she moved to the city centre, they were consigned to a garage until she and her husband decided to place them on the roof.

"Occasionally my husband takes them down to the street and jet-washes them," she said

"Someone got quite angry once, as they thought he was jet-washing a real dog."

Dozens of people commented on the photo of the sheep when it was posted on the Odd Things Around Cambridge Facebook group.

The model sheep are not the only odd things to be placed in high-up spaces in the city.

Earlier this week, several Santa hats appeared on statues and a gargoyle on St John's College in stunt later blamed on "rascal students".

At least three hats have been spotted on the chapel tower of St John's College in Cambridge