A roundabout famous for its chickens could see statues of them placed on it to mark their significance to the area.

The roundabout at Ditchingham had been home to hundreds of chickens, which became well known to motorists heading to and from Bungay on the A143.

And now an organisation called New Rock has launched a campaign to pay tribute to the former feathered residents by placing statues of them on the traffic control measure.

New Rock, which runs a Facebook page called Chicken Roundabout, is due to meet with Ditchingham Parish Council on Monday, January 16 in a bid to install chicken statues.

The organisation will be requesting Ditchingham Parish Council to lease the centre of the roundabout off them so it can work directly with Norfolk County Council to 'explore viable options' for the statues.

In a Facebook post, New Rock has stated it has "no intention of reintroduce (Live Chickens) back to the roundabout," saying "this would be a step too far when dealing with council and highways policy".

Eastern Daily Press: A copy of the painting by Sylvia Kruger of the famous 'Chicken Roundabout'A copy of the painting by Sylvia Kruger of the famous 'Chicken Roundabout' (Image: Archant)

 

The "Chicken Roundabout" in Ditchingham on the A143 was until 2010 home to chickens who roosted in the trees of the roundabout for over 30 years.

The chickens were cared for by local resident, Gordon Knowles, until concerns over the potential impact on public safety led to the chickens being removed.

Mr Knowles would rise at the crack of dawn over the course of more than three decades to take a wheelbarrow of food to feed the wild chickens.

In doing so, he catapulted the junction on the A143 to national prominence and was honoured with a plaque on Bungay's Falcon Bridge in 2012.

The daily ritual became so successful that at its height the roundabout's flock numbered more than 300 cocks and hens, before the final few were taken away by animal charities.

Speaking in 2016, Mr Knowles said: "As I made my way home from swimming at Bungay Common one morning, I saw a bag of corn which had fallen off a lorry and split open, so I swept it up and fed the chickens.

"They were standing by the gate of the land owned by Frank James who happened to be standing there and he said 'they think it's Christmas Day' and I said 'Let them have Christmas every day' and that's how it started."

Eastern Daily Press: Gordan Knowles taking feed to the chickensGordan Knowles taking feed to the chickens (Image: Archant)