Pupils at Lovelace Primary School have come up with a “gruesome” way to scare the birds from their prized allotments - and get the chance to win £200 of plants and tools.

The green-fingered pupils were inspired by the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII’s accession to the throne to create a scarecrow modelled on his second wife, Ann Boleyn, who the tempestuous monarch had beheaded for failing to provide him with a male heir.

As well as keeping greedy pigeons off the pupils’ crops, the headless horror - constructed from plant - has been accepted into the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show’s annual scarecrow competition.

Headteacher Christine Monk said: “They’re really good, although Ann Boleyn is a bit gruesome, but they really enjoyed making them.

“We’ve got this big allotment out the back that the farmer ploughed for us last year, and we often get pigeons on it looking for things to eat.

“If anyone’s going to scare them off it’s a headless Ann Boleyn.”

The popular flower show will be running from July 7 to 12, between 10am and 7.30pm Tuesday to Saturday and 10am to 5.30pm on Sunday.

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