Man spent two days trying to get owl off roof by spinning a dead rat

Mark Smith used a rat he kept in his freezer to encourage his pet Bengal Benny down from the roof

A missing pets site said they had spotted Bengal Benny in Peterborough city centre ( Keith Tsuji/Getty Images)

A man spent two days swinging a dead rat on a piece of string to entice his pet owl down from a rooftop.

Mark Smith used a rat he kept in his freezer to encourage his pet Bengal Benny down from the top of St James House, in Peterborough.

The 32-year-old told the Peterborough Telegraph he lost Benny on Bonfire Night but was told by a missing pets site on Facebook and the Independent Bird Register she had been spotted in the city centre.

A Peterborough Telegraph reporter shared pictures of Mr Smith trying to tempt his owl down from the roof.

At the time, he said: "I could be here for hours. She's started talking which is a good sign."

After two days, he was reunited with Bengal Benny, who he has owned for 10 years.