Wallaby spotted hopping through icy field in Mosborough, Sheffield

• Report by Sarah Clark

Pictures have emerged on social media apparently showing a wallaby hopping through a frosty field in South Yorkshire.

The animal was caught on camera in sub-zero temperatures in Mosborough, Sheffield, at the weekend, prompting a debate about whether the images were real or a hoax.

Wendy Vernon was among those who posted pictures on social media.

She said she was walking through woods near her home in Eckington when a fellow walker told her he had seen an animal.

She said: "As I walked past him, he said something really random like 'have you lost a kangaroo?' I just thought he was just a bit odd. And then I saw it. It looked really big - and that's when I took the picture.

"As I walked towards it, it turned around and jumped off."

Facebook users questioned whether Wendy had doctored her picture when she posted it on the site.

"I've got better things to be doing with my time," she said.

James Ledger also filmed the wallaby while walking his dogs.

He said he initially thought it was a scarecrow, but then it started to move.

"It was a moment of shock. I saw it and I knew what it was straight away - 110% it was a wallaby," he said.

"It was just one of those moments you can't believe your eyes. I had to rub my eyes to make sure I wasn't dreaming."

Are there wild wallabies in the UK?

Native to Australia, wallabies have become increasingly common in Britain.

Red-necked wallabies were imported for zoos and private collections more than a century ago.

But they have a habit of escaping from captivity and there is evidence the animals have bred in the wild.

Five wallabies escaped from a private zoo in the Peak District during the Second World War Their numbers swelled to around 50 as a result of breeding.

Many were also intentionally released during the Second World War, when keepers’ priorities changed.

Researchers at University College Dublin used public records and media reports to reveal there were almost 100 wallaby sightings in the UK between 2010 and 2020.

It was one of the biggest news stories of our time - and it's still not over. So what did Boris Johnson know about Downing Street’s notorious parties? With fresh revelations from our Number 10 sources, in their own words, listen to the inside story...