Escaped wallaby gives police the hop in Dursley

Officers tweeted they had cornered a "kangaroo" but it later escaped

Police pursuit of an escaped wallaby sparked a comic reaction after officers said they had cornered a kangaroo.

The Australian marsupial, which was spotted in Dursley, Gloucestershire, then escaped, police confirmed.

One Twitter user asked "aren't kangaroos massive?". Another, referring to fictional kangaroo Skippy, suggested it had escaped to help cure England's rugby woes.

Officers themselves then said it was "not the usual bouncer" they deal with.

Gloucestershire Police had tweeted: "Kangaroo update - we have it cornered 'outback' of a house in Woodmancote but no owner identified yet."

Officers had joined the hunt at 21:30 BST on Saturday, but minutes later the wallaby evaded its hunters and hopped off towards woods.

Ian Barnard responded to the appeal, tweeting: "Has anyone thought of asking it what's up? There could be people stuck in a mineshaft somewhere! #whatsupskip"

@Littlerachyb added: "@Glos_Police aren't kangaroos massive? Like bigger than a man massive? Sure it's not a wallaby?"

And ‏@NeilAMacKenzie posted: "It's Skippy, come to rescue the England Rugby team from the Welsh dragon."

The force's posts on Facebook and Twitter were shared and commented on several thousands times.

A known mob of wallabies is kept at Woodchester, eight miles (13 km) away, and other sightings have been made in the area over the past five years.

It is not known whether this wallaby is part of this mob.

The officer-led search has been called off but police have appealed for any sightings or for the owner to come forward.

"The animal may be distressed and they are strong and powerful animals, so members of the public are advised not to approach it," a spokeswoman said.