STAFF at Lord's House Farm in Rishton were in a real flap after thieves broke into a field and stole a five-foot-tall emu.

The huge bird is one of a breeding pair of emus which they have been looking after for the past few years.

The birds were named Rod and Penny after rocker Rod Stewart and his fiancee Penny Lancaster.

And now staff say Penny is grieving for her lost mate.

Although it is not clear why the bird was targeted by the thieves, staff have been able to trace part of the route taken by the culprits.

It is believed they took Rod from the field where he was being kept before carrying him across a number of nearby fields and stuffing him into a wheelie bin which was later found abandoned.

They are not sure where the bird was taken next but staff have been busy putting up posters around the area in a bid to jog people's memories to help get him back.

Karen Hamer of Lord's House Farm said: "Rod is eight years old and, although we have never had any problems with him, emus are large birds and can give someone a nasty kick.

"Someone must have seen him as he is very distinctive. He has large eyes, a long neck and is black and grey in colour with large feathers.

"We just can't believe someone would steal him as there is no reason why anyone would want to do this."

It is not the first time a giant bird has caused problems for the farm as staff recently battled to rescue a rhea which had managed to escape.

A police spokesman said: "We believe the theft took place overnight on 27 December. Obviously an incident like this is extremely rare.

"From a police point of view this is very serious and we would appeal to the public to give us any information they can to help us catch the culprits."

Anyone with information about the theft can ring Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.