Luton's iconic flamingos made a brief return - but installation 'glitch' means they're not quite ready to fly

Now you see them, now you don’t seemed to be the order of the day on Wednesday when Luton’s much loved flamingos made a brief appearance before disappearing once again.

Luton metalwork teacher Ricky Lee Brawn – who also happens to a drummer with rock n’ roll band Cerberstacks and who took the pictures – said: “On Wednesday (February 22) I saw three flamingos hanging off poles in the new park behind The Mall.

"There was one on the ground, waiting to be assembled I guess. But when I walked past on Thursday morning on my way to the station, they were gone.”

It’s a mystery that was soon cleared up by the council.

A spokesperson said: “We started installing them on Wednesday but unfortunately we had a slight glitch securing one of them, so to be on the safe side we’re taking them all down while we sort the issue.”

He added: “The flamingos have been refurbished and gifted by The Mall to Luton Council.

"They are now being installed as part of the Open Lea/Silver Street project, an initiative to attract people back to the town centre and promote pride in Luton.

“The flamingos are a treasured part of many Lutonians’ memories and we know people will be delighted to see them back in the centre of the town.”

A flamingo fountain with eight birds was installed as a feature in the then three-year-old Arndale Centre in 1975.

When the building was refurbished and renamed The Mall in the 1990s, this centrepiece was replaced by five smaller birds that looked like they were flying out of the roof.

These were later removed in favour of a mural on the walls of Central Square and Bute Square in the shopping centre.

The five suspended flamingos in the new installation on the southern bank of the open Lea River are the restored original smaller flying birds.

The whereabouts of the eight original fabulous pink-feathered waders is another mystery – it is thought they were bought by someone in Flitwick or Flitton but in spite of a well-publicised search for the new owners, they have not been found.