A PUB landlord has vowed to continue caring for birds of prey after a charge of illegally using endangered species for commercial purposes was dropped.

Francis O'Neil, who runs the Foresters Arms, at Coatham Mundeville, near Darlington, was celebrating yesterday after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decided to take no further action against him. Darlington magistrates dismissed the case.

But, despite waiting almost a year for the case to come to trial, Mr O'Neil said he still wants to care for birds.

He said: "It is great they have decided to drop the case, but it is still annoying that it took so long before they decided not to proceed any further.

"I have had to attend court five times and it has been quite upsetting. But it hasn't put me off birds. I still want to keep them."

Mr O'Neil had denied using endangered birds - a European eagle owl and an Indian Bengal eagle owl - for commercial purposes after RSPCA officers visited his pub.

Mr O'Neil added: "I'm hoping to get some more eagle owls because they are magnificent animals and a pleasure to look after."