Raccoon rescued from a Cambridgeshire couple's roof

"He's not as cute and adorable as he looks - he's a bit vicious", the raccoon's rescuer said

A woman thought her husband had "lost the plot" when he woke her up to tell her there was a raccoon on their roof.

The runaway critter was spotted on top of the house in Cambridgeshire.

Fenland Animal Rescue was called in, but it was "a bit of a wrestle as he was not the friendliest of raccoons", said the charity's Josh Flanagan.

"That said, I've never met one before, and we don't train in raccoon rescue techniques," he added. They are hoping to locate the animal's owner.

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"Raccoons aren't native to this country, so he must have escaped from somewhere," Mr Flanagan said.

It was a "game of cat and mouse" as the raccoon leapt across a fence onto a shed, then back to the roof of the house in Broughton

Raccoons are native to North America and are not usually seen on rooftops in the east of England

"You can imagine their surprise when the householders saw one on their roof.

"The woman thought her husband had lost the plot, but when she looked out, there it was, staring back at her through the window."

'Eating bananas'

With the animal jumping from the house to a garden shed roof, it was a short game of "cat and mouse" as Mr Flanagan tried to catch him.

"At one point I was sat on the rooftop with him, and we were both eating bananas. I don't think I'll ever experience anything like that again, but it's why I do this job," he said.

Eventually the animal was brought down safely, using a control pole.

A few days after its ordeal, the racoon is settling in - but "causing havoc" - at the rescue centre's Whittlesey base.

"He's a devilish boy, a bit vicious," Mr Flanagan said. "They look all cute and adorable, but they're not."

If no one comes forward to claim him, he will be moved to a specialist rescue centre "where he can live his life in a safe and secure environment with other raccoons to call friends".

The raccoon evaded capture by leaping between a house, fence and garden shed