Funeral for a Swan: Tributes paid to a controversial bird

A tribute with a difference has taken place for a swan with a big personality in Somerset.

The bird, who never had a formal name, was very well-known at his home at Hestercombe Gardens near Taunton.

For 22 years, the solitary swan roamed the Pear Pond but he had a controversial personal life, attracting media attention in 2010 when the Metro accused him of killing his first mate.

His second mate later left him, taking the cygnets with her, and the third mate was found back at the sanctuary from which she'd been rescued.

Yet despite the domestic difficulties, the swan captured human hearts and many came to pay their respects.

The swan was laid to rest by his old haunt, his passing leaving a vacancy in the Hestercombe pond.