A SHOCKED solicitor could not believe her eyes when she saw a cockatiel perched on a driver's shoulder.

Judith Kenney was on her way to Worcester Magistrates Court to defend a client when she saw the pretty polly inside a blue Jaguar.

The car slowed down as Miss Kenney crossed over St Mary's Street, off The Tything, in Worcester city centre.

"Sitting on the lady driver's right shoulder was a white, beautiful bird," she said

"It had a tinged red top and was white all over.

"I've never seen anything like it before."

Miss Kenney said the feathered friend was behaving itself but she was concerned the bird could cause an accident so she got in touch with the police after taking down the car's registration number.

"I can't remember anything said in the highway code about cars and cockatiels!" she said.

Police

"I thought I would report it to the police on the basis that the woman received an informal warning.

"I was worried the bird might fly off her shoulder and into her face and cause an accident."

Miss Kenney was leaving her workplace at Kieran & Co when the incident occurred at 9.50am last Thursday.

"It may be a well-trained cockatiel but if she has to do an emergency stop the bird has no seat belt and then what happens?" said Miss Kenney, who lives near Worcester.

"Next time she goes out she should leave the cockatiel at home.

"However, it did lighten up the day."

Insp Clive Griffiths said the woman driver had been visited by police officers at 10.30am yesterday.

"She has been suitably advised," he said.

"It's certainly not something we would advise, because anything that distracts you while you are driving is potentially dangerous, whether it's a cockatiel or a mobile phone."