OIJoe el-Helou with the spooked bird of prey

A HAWK hired to scare pigeons away from the Richard Cobden statue was forced to flee squawking seagulls and take refuge in a nearby flat.

Dozens of onlookers watched in amazement as the hawk ducked away from the burlier birds before swooping down and crashing into a police community support officer on his bike in Mornington Crescent last night (Wednesday).

Firefighters were called but could not retrieve the hawk, called Barn, which sat on a top-floor window ledge before disappearing inside for more than an hour.

The hawk refuses to come down

Onlooker John Curran, who lives in Kentish Town, said: “The hunter became the hunted. It swooped down and hit the community support officer.”

The hawk handler, who did not wish to be named, waited for more than an hour for a spare key to arrive before getting the bird back. Joe el-Helou, who lives in the flat below the one where the hawk took refuge, said: “We opened the door and he was sitting on the bed. He recognised her and went away.”