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Local response was overwhelming and on Tuesday 15 July over a hundred people turned up in the village car park to collect the birds.

Mary said: "I've been working in animal rescue for several years but never before done anything on this scale.

"At first we thought they were battery hens but they were free range hens that were due to be slaughtered because of supermarket rules.

"The supermarkets will not take eggs from farmers whose hens are more than 80 weeks old because the supermarkets say they are no longer viable, so the hens are slaughtered when they reach that age.

"Hens can go on laying for many years. The shells become a bit firmer and more mishapen but hens can happily go on laying for over five years. Farmers have to comply with supermarket rules or they lose business."

Mary and husband Chris have an animal sanctuary for many unwanted animals at Jollity Farm. Here the animals she rescues are able to live out their natural lives.

Mary said: "There were some delays but the main thing is we saved 1000 chickens from being killed.

Many thanks also to Derek Collins for doing the filming, it would not have been possible without him as my hands were full of hens."