A teenage animal welfare activist protested outside KFC in Trowbridge for seven hours on Saturday, dressed as a giant chicken.

Olly Tyler, 16, of West-wood, was protesting at what he believes are the poor conditions factory hens are kept in.

He used the £600 custom-made suit to attract attention, holding a placard and handing out flyers. Olly, a volunteer for Oxfam, said: “It was good, but it was long; seven hours stood in the same place.

“I had a lot of people beeping their horns and smiling, but I did get two chicken thighs thrown at me and a bottle of water, which wasn’t great.

“People still went in KFC, but lots of people saw my sign, which was good.

“A few people came up to me. Somebody gave me an umbrella and somebody gave me a massive chocolate bar and a drink. McDonald’s offered me a free meal, which I couldn’t accept.”

On the whole, the former John of Gaunt pupil thought his protest was a success and is now considering another protest around the Christmas period.

A KFC spokesman said: “At KFC, we are committed to poultry welfare and we use only reputable suppliers, that are the same as the UK’s leading supermarkets and restaurants, which meet or exceed UK and EU regulations on quality and welfare. “We regularly audit their performance, to ensure standards are consistently met, and last year we became the first quick service restaurant to gain Red Tractor certification. This means that all our Original Recipe chicken on the bone is sourced from Red Tractor certified British suppliers.” Although originally planning to to protest on Sunday as well, Olly felt unwell, so was unable to appear.