Police called after suspected crocodile seen lurking in swamp

Police were called after a dog walker reported seeing a "little crocodile" lurking in a swamp.

Fearing the reptile may be hiding in the waters near Kingsbridge, the sighting was reported to officers.

Officers attended the scene in the Loddiswell, Devon, and discovered the object was a plastic crocodile.

An image of the suspected reptile was first posted on the Spotted Kingsbridge page on Facebook.

The post, accompanied with a picture, read: "Little crocodile seen at Woodleigh whilst walking the dogs".

A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said: "Police were notified at around 9am this morning to reports of what looked like a crocodile in a swamp in Loddiswell, Kingsbridge.

"Officers attended the scene and it later expired that this was a plastic crocodile."

The force has experience of tackling toy crocodiles.

In October 2014, police and wildlife experts were called to a garden in Plymouth after reports of a crocodile.

A team from Dartmoor Zoo attended the scene with snare poles, nets and riot shields - only to discover that the crocodile was an inflatable.