A GORNAL woman is appealing for help to get a poorly and lost racing pigeon back home to its owner in Hull from the Black Country.

Kate Hegarty returned home from shopping last week to discover the bird in her kitchen- and it became quickly apparent that the pigeon was not leaving any time soon.

The pigeon, who Kate believes to be female, arrived at Kate's Gornal home on July 23, on one of the hottest days of the year when all the windows and doors were open.

It was clear to Kate that the lost pigeon was dehydrated.

Kate explained: "All the windows and doors were open, it was obvious it didn’t want to go."

Through the help of a family friend who is an ex pigeon racer, Kate was able to trace the pigeon's owner in Hull.

She got in touch with the owner and discovered the bird had been released at a meet in Hastings the previous Saturday.

In the extreme heat last week, the pigeon had become dehydrated and lost and found itself in Dudley.

Kate said: "In the hot weather had become dehydrated and underweight. If I hadn’t taken her in she would have died."

The pigeon is still too weak to be let out to fly home, so Kate is calling on anyone who is travelling to Hull from the Black Country to provide a lift for the bird up north.

She said: "With the amount of industry that we have here, a haulage firm or something must be heading to Hull."

Until then, Kate is continuing to look after her feathered friend as she builds up her strength.

She added: "If I name her, I’ll want to keep her!"

Anyone who wants to help Kate should contact the Dudley News.