The blue tit was the most common bird spotted in Surrey - bucking a national trend in a new survey which saw the house sparrow as the most frequently recorded bird across the country.

The study from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) found the house sparrow, blue tit and starling were the the top three birds seen across the UK, while the wood pigeon and house sparrow were number two and three in Surrey.

The RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch annual study was released alongside a plea from the charity not to feed birds during the summer months, as it could spread disease.