Parish councillor resigns after blowing up cat in birdhouse

The incident was caught on camera

James Garnor, who had a seat on Whittebury Parish Council in South Northamptonshire, was alleged to have wired up a firework device to a bird table which was then detonated when it was visited by a cat.

The council said it 'took all matters of animal welfare seriously' and Garnor had resigned on 7 February.

The video was obtained by the radio network LBC and appears to show a cat standing on a platform within a covered wooden bird table.

In the clip, there is a sudden flash of orange and smoke which surrounds the animal before it jumps down.

While the cat appears to escape fairly unscathed barring frazzled whiskers, it was clearly a traumatic incident for the feline.

The cat, called Suki, belonged to LBC caller Nikki who told the station that her cat had returned home one day missing her whiskers.

Nikki had posted on social media to warn other pet owners and was contacted by someone who alleged that the perpetrator was a neighbour and a local councillor.

The parish council said it was 'aware of the recent media coverage regarding an alleged incident involving one of our parish councillors'.

A spokesperson said: "The incident in question, which reportedly took place in 2023, was investigated at the time by Northamptonshire Police who decided to not take any further action."

They added that the incident happened in a private capacity and that they didn't have the authority to remove a councillor from their position.

Northamptonshire Police said they had received a report of a cat being injured by a firework at a property in Whittlebury High Street in April 2023.

They executed a warrant at a property in Whittlebury in October.

A man attended a voluntary interview about the allegation and a second man was also spoken to.

The force added: "There was insufficient evidence to prove criminal charges in relation to the investigation.

"The matter was dealt with by use of anti-social behaviour legislation in March 2024."