A 'Pick Your Own Cherries' event at a National Trust house has been cancelled — after blackbirds ate all the cherries.

Staff had planned a cherry-picking event at a Tamar cherry orchard at Cotehele House on July 5.

However the event had to be cancelled today after it was revealed that a group of resident blackbirds had devoured the entire crop.

A spokesperson for Cotehele House confirmed: "Unfortunately the cheeky blackbirds who live at Cotehele, have jumped the queue and eaten ALL of the cherries in the orchard so Pick Your Own Cherries has been cancelled. "We (not the blackbirds) are sorry for any disappointment caused."