Chickens from Lindfield vicarage on the loose in the village

The hensemble, who live at the vicarage, were spotted by local window cleaner Jade James, who was working in The Welkin.

She said: “I just found them on my round.

“They seemed to be sticking to one area but just walking around happily.”

She thought they may have been missing as she hadn’t seen chickens walking around the area before, so she posted on Facebook and asked a friend who lives in the area if she knew about them.

The friend, Katie Stockley, said: “I’ve never seen them wandering about before.

“Jade called me asking if I knew anything so I went out to have a look with her.

“There were a lot of people following them about, it caused quite a stir.”

Although it may have looked like a bit of a yolk, Katie said it was a 'pretty bizarre sight but quite nice’.

She said: “I met and talked to a few lovely people I wouldn't have crossed paths with before.

“Community spirit and all that!”

Chris Clarke, wife of the church's vicar Canon Dr James Clarke, said they have had chickens for two years and they escaped through a hole in the fence exposed by a fallen down tree.

She said: "We have seven in total, six of which are rescued ex-battery hens.

"We let our grandchildren name them, and they're all girls: Coco, Pixie, Imogen, Peanut, Molly, Billie, Emmaline."

Stephen Norris, church manager at All Saints’ Church, said it isn’t the first time there's been poultry in motion.

He said: “The vicar has an incredibly good trick of grapes to get them back. They all trail after him.”

Cluckily, when Canon Dr Clarke heard the news, he used his grape trick to get the chickens to return home - no harm, no fowl.