A pigeon minding his own business in a quiet country lane had his feathers ruffled when he found himself on a day trip to the seaside.

Rob Potter, who lives in Menheniot and is a groundworker for MJL Ltd, had just set off for work at 6am on Tuesday when he came across a group of pigeons in the middle of the road.

'I tooted my horn and they all flew away except one which was a bit slower and I was unable to avoid it,' said Rob.

'There was a bit of a thud, and in my rear view mirror I saw a few feathers flying. I thought the pigeon was "a goner" and felt a bit bad because, like most people, I don't like running over animals and birds.'

Rob carried on to Bude and eventually got home to Menheniot at 8pm – a 76-mile round trip.

'My wife Kate said she could hear a cooing noise coming from my truck and I was amazed to find this good-sized pigeon behind the grill at the front of the radiator,' said Rob.

'I pulled up the grill and the pigeon poked his head out. I think he knew I was helping him and he ducked out underneath, and sat on the ground for a bit. He didn't seem any the worse for his experience and blinked, shook his feathers and, after a few moments, flew into a tree. I was pleased to see he was OK.

'How the pigeon survived 14 hours on a warm day stuck in the truck I'll never know.'