Photo: VCG

A brewery in the German state of Bavaria has been forced to suspend beer production after a family of storks made themselves at home in one of its chimneys.

The plucky birds - a protected species in Germany - built a nest in the Zwanzger brewery in the village of Uehlfeld in early spring, bringing production to a grinding halt, brewer Christian Zwanzger told AFP.

Uehlfeld has long been a favorite haunt for the storks, which often return to the same spots every year to build their nests.

He and his team had planned to wait until the nest was completed and then raise it out of the chimney - but then Germany went into lockdown due to the coronavirus.

That means they had to wait until now to get the specialist help needed to deal with the nest, as baby storks have since hatched. The brewery is now hoping to move the nest next week.