A CHEEKY duck knew he was on to a winner when he gatecrashed a pond and made it his home.

Walter the duck flew into the village of Belthorn a year ago.

He soon became a popular addition to the village's communal pond along with four other ducks which were bought by residents.

And once settled in he started the strange antics which have earned him the nickname 'Wandering Walter'.

Walter is old and can only fly enough to propel himself on to the pond's wall. But from there he wanders into Belthorn Road and just sits himself in the middle to watch the world go by.

Residents were concerned he might become a victim of fowl play so they put up a sign to warn speedy drivers saying: 'Slow down or the duck gets it!'.

He also wanders around the village, across pavements and gardens for food - and judging by the size of his body he knows exactly what he is doing.

Another quirk is a duck known as Walter's wife. She has also taken to wandering since his arrival, but whenever she's on the move Walter follows, watching to make sure she's safe from harm.

None of the other ducks venture past the confines of the pond area.

Walter's antics have made him a firm favourite among the villagers, who pride themselves on looking after the pond and taking care of the ducks. Sue Proctor, of Belthorn, comes down regularly to feed Walter with her 20 month old grandson, Elliott.

She said: "When I'm driving along at night I put the hazard lights on to alert him. He is on the road quite a lot.

"He just suddenly arrived and stayed - now everybody knows him, but nobody knows where he came from.

"He is quite an unusual character."

Jim Fletcher, of Belthorn Road, said: "Everybody knows him as Wandering Walter. We got ducks for the pond and he just followed them in there.

"He is old and cannot fly very far, but he's really friendly.

"He spends much of his time on the wall. He is the best fed bird in Britain.

"Cars come fairly fast down the road, and he has to be careful.

"He's a feature of the village."

Jack Moss, of Belthorn Road, said: "He just goes in the middle of the road and everybody has to drive around him.

"He's a right character. He's friendly and doesn't bite - everybody in the village feeds him."