THE first possible sighting of Barney the parrot has been reported after a pensioner claimed she saw a 'big budgie' in her garden.

Catherine Robinson thought her 81-year-old mum was seeing things when she said there had been a large green-blue bird in a tree near her home in Lichfield Avenue, Ronkswood.

However, Mrs Robinson was stunned when she picked up yesterday's Worcester News to discover an African Grey parrot had gone missing from St Peter's Garden Centre.

"I thought my mother must have been mistaken when she told me about a big budgie she had seen," she said.

"But when I read the paper I thought it could easily be the parrot. There is a wood near her house so I guess it could have gone there."

The possible sighting was at the end of last week and Barney went missing sometime between 6pm on Wednesday and 7am on Thursday morning.

The parrot is a favourite at St Peter's Garden Centre and staff and customers are 'heart broken' at its loss.