A PUB landlady decided a stuffed animal's head was no longer an appropriate ornament - but was shocked to find her regulars missed it.

So Susannah Burton staged an auction so that one of her customers could buy the buck's head to save it from the tip.

And a loyal punter paid £60 for the item during the auction to help raise money for Christmas parties for the village's children and elderly.

The item had adorned the wall above the fireplace of the Buck Inn, Cowpe, Rossendale, for more than 40 years.

Susannah, who took over the pub in July, said: "The man who bought it is a regular at the pub, and he said he was going to hang it above his mantelpiece - I don't imagine his wife was too happy!

"After everyone asking about it, in the end there was less bidding interest than I would have thought, but it was great to raise £60.

"I'm glad it's gone to a new home, rather than gathering dust in the attic or being thrown out, as the head was obviously an important part of the pub's history."

Susannah, who also owns The Jolly Sailor pub in Waterfoot, said she did not know the history of the buck's head, but added: "When I arrived I decided to change the pub's decor to give it a fresh look.

"I decided to take the head down, because it's not really the time anymore to have stuffed animal heads up.

"But regular customers kept asking where it was, so I decided to auction it off if people wanted it so much!"

It is not the first time a stuffed animal's head has caught the public's attention in Rossendale this year - in July campaigners forced councillors to restore a historic stag's head trophy at Stubbylee Hall.

Several years ago the then Rossendale Council chief executive Owen Williams had the head removed from council planning offices as it did not fit in with its "corporate image". But the head was returned after public outcry at the loss of an important Victorian relic.

The Buck Inn's auction, which also included football memorabilia, vouchers and jewellery, raised around £1,000 which will be used to fund the pensioners' party on December 9 and children's party on December.