Mr Jones, from Broadgreen, said he had no wish to make money out of his idea, but simply wanted the sprinklers to be available so people could ask for their cappuccinos to be adorned with a Liver Bird.

One of the coffee shops already sold on the idea is the Brew Tea Bar, in the city’s business district.

Store manager Alex Petricca said: “I think it’s a fantastic idea and I’m sure it would be a hit with our customers.” Mr Jones taught music and French at a number of secondary schools in the region before his retirement.

He is also a musician who leads a country dance band, and a folk singer and lyricist.

This is not the first time he has come up with a Liver Bird-themed idea. A few years ago, he tried unsuccessfully to get the city interested in a project for a giant “third Liver Bird” sculpture, to be installed at ground level.

The earliest known use of a bird to represent Liverpool was on its corporate seal in the 1350s. The College of Arms granted official arms, depicting the bird, to Liverpool in 1797.

German sculptor Carl Bartels won a competition to create the two Liver Birds which stand on top of the Royal Liver Building.

Each of the birds is 18ft tall and has a wing-span of 24ft.

The birds themselves are a cross between the cormorant and the eagle of St John the Evangelist adopted by King John, who granted Liverpool its Royal Charter as a port in 1207.