A WILDLIFE-loving builder nursed garden birds back to life after he plucked them from an oil spillage in a Malvern stream.

Three bathing blue tits, a robin and blackbirds were just some of the wild birds caught up in the thick black gunge when Pete Shephard rescued them from the Victoria Park stream.

Officials from Severn Trent said the slick was likely to have been caused by a car owner dumping oil down a nearby storm water drain - connected straight to the stream.

Mr Shephard, from Park Close, Malvern, was determined the garden birds, which were coated with oil, would not meet a sticky end from the pollution.

He gathered up the dozen or so birds flapping helplessly around the bank, which backs on to his house, in a frantic bid to wash off the mess.

As a canary breeder for more than 40 years, he placed the birds in a heated cage, fed them until they reached full strength and carefully washed the oil off them.

Although he was unable to save every bird he has released six back into the wild, with the last to leave being a young robin.

"I knew there was something wrong when the cats kept bringing in birds from the back garden all covered with oil," said Mr Shephard.

"As soon as I realised, I went outside and during the weeks I've discovered dozens of birds - most of them dead.

"I washed the ones that were still alive every day and kept them in a special sick cage, heated with lightbulbs at the bottom, to keep them warm.

"I fed them a mixture of meal worms, bread and milk, and canary feed and it gave me a real buzz when I released them back into the wild - well away from this current mess."

A spokeswoman for Severn Trent said the booms and matting, which were first installed more than two weeks ago, were still in place to soak up the oil.

"Officers have decided to leave the matting in the stream as there are still some signs of pollution," said the spokeswoman.

"We will be checking the stream again in the next few days to see if they can be removed."

n Pete Shephard with some of the absorbent matting used to soak up the oil spill in the stream at the back of his house. 28273904. n Above he is pictured with the robin he rescued from the oily brook. 28273902