A rare albino sparrow has been photographed in the garden of a South Ashford resident.

George Galdies, 75, of Boxley, snapped the white bird sitting on his fence.

"I was by the sink, washing the dishes when I saw it," said the great-grandfather of two.

"I rushed upstairs to get my camera and luckily enough it was still sitting on the fence when I came back.

"It’s pretty rare to see anything like that. I’ve never seen a white sparrow before, but I have taken one [picture] of a white blackbird."

Albinism is a condition characterised by a lack of the melanin pigment leading to white-coloured skin, fur or feathers.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said it was unusual to see an albino sparrow given the decline in the bird’s population.

The bird charity’s Dr Richard Black said: "Visually they are really interesting, but it does make them more vulnerable.

"They survive by flocking so a white sparrow will stand out."

Sadly the lack of melanin also means the bird’s feathers will not be as strong as normal sparrows.

Other albino birds and animals seen in the area include a starling in 2009, an albino hedgehog found at Pluckley and a white squirrel photographed in Shadoxhurst in 2008.