Locals volunteer to help creatures small in James Herriot hometown

Residents in the hometown of the real life James Herriot have set up nightly patrols to protect a flock of ducks which cross the same road every evening.

Locals in Thirsk, North Yorks., - where vet Alf Wight, who wrote the James Herriot books, lived - act as 'wardens' for the 30 or so animals which frequent the town centre.

The birds normally start the two-minute journey from a nearby river at around 8pm and will stay in a car park until around 6.30am the next morning, locals say.

Jodie Wood, 40, set up the Facebook page and now organises around 15 volunteers who all help the ducks cross the road.

She said: "I made a Facebook group asking if anyone wanted to help me with the ducks and it's just gone viral - it's got over 2,000 people in it."