Bristol police hunt for crocodile under bridge

Crocodiles tend to congregate in the rivers and swamps of Africa and Australia

Police were called out to search for a 6ft (1.8m) crocodile reportedly seen on the loose in Bristol.

Avon and Somerset Police Chief Constable Nick Gargan said on Twitter that a bus driver had alerted police about the animal earlier.

"One of our officers was flagged down by a bus driver today, claiming to have seen a 6ft crocodile... We can't find it," he said.

A police spokesman confirmed officers had been sent to look for the creature.

Chief Constable Nick Gargan revealed the crocodile hunt on Twitter

The force did not reveal details of the extent of the search - or indicate how seriously they were taking the sighting.

"We were called at 10:28am on Monday, February 3, to reports of a crocodile sighted on Bedminster Bridge," the spokesman said.

"We carried out a search of the area but found no trace of the reptile."

Crocodiles tend to congregate in the slow-moving rivers and swamps of Africa, Asia, Australia and the Americas, according to BBC Nature.

A previous sighting of a crocodile in British waters - reported in the English Channel - turned out to be a piece of wood.