SMOKERS have been banned from using a village hall ashtray bin after it was taken over by a family of nesting blue tits.
The chicks hatched in the wall-mounted cigarette bin outside Astley and Dunley Village Hall, near Stourport.
Tammy Roote had been attending a mother and toddler group at the hall on Friday, May 17 when she heard tweeting coming from ashtray.
The 29-year-old non-smoker peeked through the metal flap and was stunned to see eight baby chicks and a mother bird flying in with worms.
Smokers have been told not to put their discarded cigarette butts in the ashtray to avoid hurting the birds.
It is the second year in a row the birds have made a home at the hall.
Full-time mum Tammy said; "I go to the mother and toddler group at the village hall with my two boys Teddy and Jude.
"I filmed the chicks on May 17. The week before that we had noticed a bird going in and out of the ashtray.
"Someone who leads the group noticed there was a nest and she put a sign up.
"It was really sweet. You never get to see anything like that up close.
"In the video, you can hear my youngest saying 'wow, wow'.
"There's just one parent bird. While we were there, we saw her going in and out.
"She had something in her mouth but I'm not sure if it's food or twigs for the nest.
"There are two little holes in the ashtray. I just put my phone through the hole, I did not have to disturb them at all.
"The sign is big enough to stop people putting anything in the ashtray."
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