Louis the swearing pub parrot handed warning notice at Nailmakers Arms in Sheffield

Louis, the pub African Grey at the Nailmakers Arms in Norton, has picked up a string of foul words including he F-word, which has led to landlord Andy Ashby having to place a warning notice at the bar near the vulgar bird.

On top of the notice telling people not to touch Louis, Andy has had to add: “I swear. Please don’t be offended.”

Louis is there so that people can talk to him at the bar. But Andy, who took over the pub last year, had the bird living in a flat before introducing him to the pub, and the parrot spent time soaking up the dialogue in numerous films.

Andy said: “He’s picked it up off the television. When there’s a film on the television there is sometimes a lot of swearing. Now he will be talking, and then just come out with the F-word or other bad language. One minute he’s saying what a pretty boy, but then he’ll go off with a foul mouthed rant. He’ll maybe say a name, and then come out with the F-word.

“He’s a bit like a parrot with Tourettes. He talks and whistles as well.”

Andy is now trying to retrain Louis and is hoping to get him to steer clear of what is sometimes called ‘bar room language’.

“It will fade out,” he said. “He will pick up new words now he’s downstairs. He will pick up different, less rude, words. They sometimes lock onto words and pick them up.”