Adorable family of blue tits make home in town hall cigarette bin

A Yorkshire town hall has become an unexpected home for a family of blue tits, who have converted a cigarette bin into their nest. The birds have taken up residence in a bin attached to Kettlesing Millennium Village Hall in North Yorkshire.

A warning note has been placed on the bin, urging smokers to dispose of their cigarette butts elsewhere. The bin now houses three baby blue tits and an adult female, each with their own 'hole' to peek through.

Local resident Elise Key, 35, discovered the nesting chicks while preparing to teach a Pilates class. She managed to capture a video of the moment their mother returned to feed them. Elise, a physiotherapist, said: "I go there for my Pilates classes twice weekly and the little note on the front of the box had been there for a few weeks but I hadn't taken much notice of it."

READ MORE Best Huddersfield beer gardens for a pint on those sunny days

She added: "I took the video as I was unloading my car and I could hear the tweeting. I had a little peek down into the box and I was shocked to see birds in there. Everyone was standing back looking at the birds. You could see all the little birds poking their heads out. In one of the videos I got, I was panicking that some of them were going to fall out! ".

Elise continued: "Every time I finished the class I came out and pointed them out to clients. I'd heard the mum lingering around a little bit and when they all popped their heads up you could tell she was near - it was just so cute."

Sadly, the feathered family have since vacated their makeshift nest. Elise, who filmed the incident last Thursday, added: "They left a few days later as they were big enough to fly, you could tell. A friend actually saw them fly the box.

Blue tits nesting in a cigarette bin at Kettlesing Town Hall in North Yorkshire -Credit:Elise Key/SWNS
Blue tits nesting in a cigarette bin at Kettlesing Town Hall in North Yorkshire -Credit:Elise Key/SWNS

Get all the latest and breaking North Yorkshire news straight to your inbox by signing up to our daily newsletter here.