Residents are spitting feathers after being plagued by a cheeky swan that repeatedly knocks on their front doors with his beak - for hours on end.Comical footage shows "Cedric" the ASBO swan rattling the letterboxes of a row of houses opposite the lake where he lives on Selston Walk, in Northampton.The rogue bird has been targeting the properties for the past five years but nobody knows why he keeps poking his beak through their doors.Locals have been left in a flap by Cedric's bizarre behaviour which sees him noisily clanging the metal letterboxes - sometimes for up to THREE hours. Grandfather-of-four Stephen Legg, 70, who lives on Selston Walk, has tried and failed to deter the antisocial visitor on numerous occasions. Mr Legg, who works as a county councillor, said: "At the side of our houses there's a small lake which was dug out 20 years ago for drainage. "The swan has been there for seven or eight years with its mate. "Around this time of year five years ago the male swan started messing around my front door. "It rattles the letterbox with its beak and stands in front of the glass. "The RSPCA have been a few times and reckon it's trying to scrape insects off the glass, but there aren't any inside the letter box. "He does it every year until the summer then doesn't bother for the rest of the year.
It is a flipping nuisance. "He starts by rattling the letter box then bashes the metal with its beak quite loudly. "The racket reverberates through the whole house. It doesn't do any damage, but it's extremely irritating. "Sometimes it does it for three hours at a time, other times only once or twice. "It really is very loud because it flips the letter box up and down with its beak. "I have been very careful not to feed it and certainly don't feed it through the letter box. "Everyone who walks past the lake seems to give the swans something to eat. They must be the best-fed birds in England.
The last thing it could be is hungry. "It is impossible to work out what it's up to and it does it to other houses.
But it certainly gives the postman and paper boy something to think about. "I did have a device that makes a swan-repellent ultrasonic noise, but it actually seemed to quite like it. "He just nestled up to it, so it did no good at all and even might've encouraged him. It cost me thirty quid so it was a complete waste of money. "I did try covering the whole door but I didn't get any post for a whole month. "If it keeps on through the whole summer I will have to cover the door again and leave my conservatory window open for the postman. "It is a bloody nuisance and very peculiar behaviour." Mystery surrounds why the pesky bird keeps knocking on people's front doors but it is believed it could be territorial behaviour or he is looking for food. Retired nurse Wendy Howard, 63, who also lives nearby, captured the hilarious footage after seeing the swan on her daily walk. The married mum-of-two said: "The swan has been been doing it almost every day recently and I still think it is pretty funny to see when walking past."But I'm glad it isn't my house because it is very noisy, it would depend on how early it started. "It's like a postman opening the letterbox to drop the post through.
It puts its beak through their letter boxes, raps the metal and carries on and on. "The videos are only short but it keeps banging and banging on the door. "It happened about the same time last year and I think they could be hungry in nesting season. "At first I couldn't believe what was happening but I've got used to it now "Thousands of people have viewed the videos on social media now, it's gone crazy.
I've had emails from New Zealand from people who have seen it."I never thought it would come to this after filming it on my six-year-old iPhone but anything light-hearted that brings a smile to people is a good thing at the moment."
Residents are spitting feathers after being plagued by a cheeky swan that repeatedly knocks on their front doors with his beak - for hours on end.Comical footage shows "Cedric" the ASBO swan rattling the letterboxes of a row of houses opposite the lake where he lives on Selston Walk, in Northampton.The rogue bird has been targeting the properties for the past five years but nobody knows why he keeps poking his beak through their doors.Locals have been left in a flap by Cedric's bizarre behaviour which sees him noisily clanging the metal letterboxes - sometimes for up to THREE hours.
Grandfather-of-four Stephen Legg, 70, who lives on Selston Walk, has tried and failed to deter the antisocial visitor on numerous occasions.
Mr Legg, who works as a county councillor, said: "At the side of our houses there's a small lake which was dug out 20 years ago for drainage.
"The swan has been there for seven or eight years with its mate.
"Around this time of year five years ago the male swan started messing around my front door.
"It rattles the letterbox with its beak and stands in front of the glass.
"The RSPCA have been a few times and reckon it's trying to scrape insects off the glass, but there aren't any inside the letter box.
"He does it every year until the summer then doesn't bother for the rest of the year.
It is a flipping nuisance.
"He starts by rattling the letter box then bashes the metal with its beak quite loudly.
"The racket reverberates through the whole house.
It doesn't do any damage, but it's extremely irritating.
"Sometimes it does it for three hours at a time, other times only once or twice.
"It really is very loud because it flips the letter box up and down with its beak.
"I have been very careful not to feed it and certainly don't feed it through the letter box.
"Everyone who walks past the lake seems to give the swans something to eat.
They must be the best-fed birds in England.
The last thing it could be is hungry.
"It is impossible to work out what it's up to and it does it to other houses.
But it certainly gives the postman and paper boy something to think about.
"I did have a device that makes a swan-repellent ultrasonic noise, but it actually seemed to quite like it.
"He just nestled up to it, so it did no good at all and even might've encouraged him.
It cost me thirty quid so it was a complete waste of money.
"I did try covering the whole door but I didn't get any post for a whole month.
"If it keeps on through the whole summer I will have to cover the door again and leave my conservatory window open for the postman.
"It is a bloody nuisance and very peculiar behaviour." Mystery surrounds why the pesky bird keeps knocking on people's front doors but it is believed it could be territorial behaviour or he is looking for food.
Retired nurse Wendy Howard, 63, who also lives nearby, captured the hilarious footage after seeing the swan on her daily walk.
The married mum-of-two said: "The swan has been been doing it almost every day recently and I still think it is pretty funny to see when walking past."But I'm glad it isn't my house because it is very noisy, it would depend on how early it started.
"It's like a postman opening the letterbox to drop the post through.
It puts its beak through their letter boxes, raps the metal and carries on and on.
"The videos are only short but it keeps banging and banging on the door.
"It happened about the same time last year and I think they could be hungry in nesting season.
"At first I couldn't believe what was happening but I've got used to it now "Thousands of people have viewed the videos on social media now, it's gone crazy.
I've had emails from New Zealand from people who have seen it."I never thought it would come to this after filming it on my six-year-old iPhone but anything light-hearted that brings a smile to people is a good thing at the moment."
