YORK'S infamous "crow twins" have been blamed for wreaking more havoc - just as council chiefs granted the roguish pair a stay of execution.

The pair, Russell and Sheryl, are infamous on their "manor" of Askham Bar, where they target luckless motorists for their windscreen wipers and rubber windscreen trims.

Pensioner Jean Johnston lives about eight miles away, as the crow flies, in Strensall.

But she suspects the mischievous duo are the very crows that have made scratch marks on her house windows after pecking at the rubber surrounding them.

She has now hung blank CDs over the window to try and scare them away.

Jean, 75, whose neighbours have also put up tin foil to scare them off, said: "The crows have been coming to my house for three months and must be attracted by the rubber. It's a nuisance and quite unnerving when they peck at the window.

"It must be Russell and Sheryl who are to blame."

The Evening Press reported Russell and Sheryl's vandalism spree at Askham Bar Park&Ride last week.

We told how their reign of destruction was caught by car park bosses on CCTV.

Pest control officers were originally assigned to kill them off, but now they will be relocated, as many people have taken the birds to their hearts.

Gwilyn Thomas, Park&Ride officer, said: "Although the crows have been the cause of damage to a number of cars, it seems that they have been taken into people's hearts and we have decided to move them to a different area where they can't cause trouble."

The crows will be relocated by the University of York's Animal Welfare Society.

Updated: 10:55 Tuesday, April 06, 2004