A BURY family was left feeling as "sick as a parrot" when a fire broke out in their home, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage.

For it was pet parrot, Ollie, who was indirectly to blame for Monday afternoon's blaze in Lower Bank Street after he made a dash for freedom.

Mrs Jasmin Mohammad said: "I had just put the chip pan on the hob when Ollie flew out the open back door. He was perched on a tree and we all ran out to catch him.

"I totally forgot about the chip pan. We were too busy trying to get Ollie back."

After more than half an hour, Jasmin, her husband, Nisar, and their three children managed to coax Ollie into his cage but found their home on fire.

"The house was full of smoke," said Jasmin. "Fortunately, someone had already called the fire brigade and they did a marvellous job in stopping the fire spreading through the house."

As the family await repair estimates from their insurers, Ollie was keeping tight-lipped on his role in the drama.