HAMPSHIRE villagers are hoping to find a mate for a lovelorn peacock which has made their quiet residential close his home.

The glamorous bird arrived in the garden of Kate Barnes in Itchen Abbas, near Winchester, in July last year in a bedraggled state.

After eight months of care and attention from the local community, made up mostly of retired residents, the bird, which has been named Percy, has returned to full health.

The residents are concerned that the young peacock is sad without a mate as he looks forlorn and makes his mating call in the morning and night.

Mrs Barnes, 64, said: ''One day I said to my husband, who is blind, 'there's a peacock on the front garden', but he didn't believe me. We went out there and he was quite bedraggled so I gave him a handful of ordinary bird seed and he seemed to be quite happy.

''He slept on the roof of the bungalow and the cat went up there and sat next to him and he's been here ever since.

''But he's very lonely, which we can see because he presents his tail to all the local pheasants and rooks, but no one can help him and he does the mating call. He struts himself up and down the street and his feathers are in wonderful condition.

''We are a bit worried for him and for his sake we would like him to have a mate and somewhere more secure.''

The residents have also been advised that his mating call might get louder and extend into more unsocial hours as the mating season advances.

Mrs Barnes said: ''We are not concerned about the noise, he hasn't caused any upset as he has been through one mating season already.

''He is just lovestruck so we would like someone to bring a peahen here for him, or perhaps have him rehomed even though we do love having him here.''