Whitesnake's hits include Here I Go Again and Is This Love

Writing on his website, the Whitesnake singer said the bear broke into a guest bedroom on Wednesday morning.

Coverdale, 55, recounted how he ran at the animal with an air horn canister and scared him into the garden.

The British singer, formerly of Deep Purple, said bear attacks had become a "daily worry" and that authorities had warned he may have to move out.

His first face-to-face encounter with a bear came in July, as he was "rinsing a cup or two at the kitchen sink".

For some reason, I don't think these guys care for rock

David Coverdale

The singer said he could feel the animal's breath on his hand as he closed the kitchen window, before he "ran around" the house to make sure all the other entrances and exits were secure.

"I'd like to think it was the smell of my fab cooking that seduced him," said Coverdale, "but it was only a slightly charred bagel!"

Bear trap

Black bears have increasingly become urbanised

The animal also took the opportunity to swim in the singer's pool.

"We now have a big bear trap in the garden," said Coverdale.

"For some reason, I don't think these guys care for rock!"

The Lake Tahoe area, on the border of California and Nevada, is experiencing a rise in bear home invasions.

The animals, which can weigh as much as 400lb (180kg), have become less wary of humans after years of being fed and finding scraps in dustbins.

Authorities in the area say a drought last winter has exacerbated the problem, with bears coming down from higher ground to search for water.

Whitesnake scored a string of hits in the 1980s with songs like Here I Go Again and Is This Love.