SECURITY at an aquatic centre where a penguin was stolen has been improved with £1,000 of equipment.

Bosses of a security firm have provided Piglet the penguin and her companions with closed circuit television protection.

Piglet was stolen from the enclosure she shares with six other rare Peruvian Humboldt penguins at Scarborough Sea Life Centre, in the North Yorkshire resort.

She was found the following morning in a back garden in the town and is now being treated for stress.

Piglet's plight came to the attention of Chris Browne, managing director of Coastal Security, of Ramshill Road, Scarborough, whose firm is installing night-vision cameras overlooking the penguins.

He said: "Like most people, I was appalled that anyone could pull a prank like this one and concerned to learn that poor Piglet was so stressed by the experience.

"I know the Sea Life Centre well, having done some work there when it first opened, and I was only too happy to offer assistance in preventing something like this happening again."

The CCTV cameras, connected to monitors and recorders, will use infra-red light so as not to disturb the birds.

Sea Life centre manager, Iain Hawkins said: "This is fantastic news for us. We are immensely grateful to Chris and his colleagues for helping all of us, not just the penguins, to sleep a bit more soundly at night."

The centre has also received £700 in donations towards extra security measures from concerned members of the public.

Mr Hawkins said: "This money will be used to add extra cameras and more alarms in due course, to guarantee that no one can break into any part of the centre at any time without being caught on film or triggering a warning that will bring a very rapid response."