A WOLF-whistling parrot who is part of the family at a Worcester garden centre has been stolen from his cage, leaving staff and shoppers devastated.

Barney, an African Grey, has been a favourite at

St Peter's Garden Centre for two-and-a-half years, but employees arrived at 7am on Thursday to find him missing. The back door of the centre had been kicked in and the cage opened. The raiders had not disturbed anything else in the centre. Barney

is valued at about £2,000, but Pam York-Jones, centre manager, said it was not the money that upset them.

"Barney is part of the family," she said. "He is very much loved here and some of the customers have been in tears when we told them.

"As nothing else was taken it seems quite a specific and nasty thing to do.

"He is wonderful, and we are absolutely heart-broken about it."

Seven-year-old Barney is grey, with a bright red tail, and answers to his name.

The talkative bird imitates both male and female voices and has a range of sayings, from 'good morning' and 'hello, gorgeous' to repeating mobile phone conversations and wolf whistling.

"He has even talked about changing the oil in a car. He's really popular and we are devastated," said Ms York-Jones.

The break-in happened between 6pm on Wednesday night, when St Peter's Garden Centre closed, and 7am the following day, when employees returned to work.

The theft came just hours after £2,500 damage was done to plastic containers in an unrelated fire in the nursery area of the garden centre - well away from Barney's enclosure.

The fire is being treated as arson and anyone with information should call police on 08457 444888, quoting 377S/040505.

Anyone with information about Barney should call either 08457 444888, quoting 31C/050505, or call the centre, based at Pear Tree Farm, Norton, on 01905 357595.