BECKY the parrot is back in her Bournemouth home, following a five-month wrangle with the Border Force.

The 30-year-old Senegal parrot was due to be reunited with her owners Andrew Sutton and David de la Mare yesterday before returning to her Hankinson Road home in Charminster.

 

 

Becky was seized by Border Force officials in July, in a row over whether she had the correct paperwork to enter the UK.

She has lived with Andrew for around 26 years and moved to Turkey with the couple for a period of seven years.

However, while her move to Turkey was straightforward, her return to the UK was not. Andrew, 43, and David, 63, paid a specialist animal transportation company £1,000 to complete all the necessary paperwork but this did not include a CITES permit which meant she was confiscated at the airport.

She has been languishing at Heathrow Airport's animal reception centre ever since the summer and at one stage, Andrew and David feared she would be “condemned” by the Home Office.

But last week Border Force officials reviewed their decision and decided she could be restored to her owners.

Solicitor Philip Day, of Horsey Lightly Fynn, believes the support given to Becky by Daily Echo readers and by Bournemouth West MP Conor Burns helped to influence the Border Force's decision.

Mr Burns said: “I'm very pleased that this story has a happy ending and that the parrot will be reunited with her family for Christmas.

“The Border Force followed the rules to the letter, which is I suppose as they should, but they could have given earlier hope.

“I think it's disappointing that it took the intervention of a MP to get the parrot back.

“Let's just hope the Border Force now exercise similar zeal with those coming here illegally as they have with this particular parrot.”