Fire crew spots porcupine on the loose in Harston

The porcupine was spotted heading for freedom under a gate

Firefighters did a "double take" when they spotted a porcupine on the loose in a village.

The prickly chap is thought to have escaped as the animals are not native to Cambridgeshire.

Fire crews were returning from a call-out in the early hours of Monday morning when they saw it in Harston.

Porcupines are found in America, Africa, Asia and parts of Europe, and while their name in Latin means "quill pig", they are from the rodent family.

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue crews took to Twitter to post a photo of the porcupine's prickly rear end disappearing under a gate.

Porcupines are found in America, Africa, Asia and parts of Europe

"Residents of Harston - while attending a fire call to Foxton this morning crews from Cambridge fire station noticed a porcupine loose on the High Street in Harston - please keep a look out," the service said.

In another tweet they said crews "did a double take" when they spotted the rodent.

While they did try to find it, "it moved very quickly", a fire service spokeswoman said.

Crews contacted a local wildlife park to find out if one of their porcupines was missing - but all were accounted for.

They also got in touch with local vets and rescue centres, but so far no-one seems to be missing the prickly fellow.

"The firefighters who spotted it encourage residents to be vigilant and hope it finds its way home soon," the spokeswoman added.