A grandad has solved the mystery of a 'crocodile' running wild in his back garden.
Bricklayer Nigel Holroyd was baffled when he saw what looked like a photo of his own property in the press, after a neighbour thought she saw a 4ft reptile stalking in the grass.
"That looks like my garden," the 58-year-old thought after spotting the grainy snap containing the mysterious creature, dubbed the 'Castleford Croc'.
It had been taken by exhausted nurse Sarah Jayne Ellis after her overnight shift at the hospital.
When she checked back later it had gone and she assumed it must have been real, with her mind flashing back to reports of another croc sighting at a nearby nature reserve last year.
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And while it was a crocodile in Nigel's garden, it wasn't a real one.
"It’s just a plastic toy crocodile," he told Metro, which had initially published the photo.
"I left it in the grass to scare off my neighbour’s cat from my garden, but I ended up scaring her."
Nigel had bought the toy during a trip to Florida, in the US, in 2000.
It had been a gift for his son before being passed down to one-year-old grandson Robbie.
He said his family all found the misunderstanding hilarious, adding: "It’s certainly got out hand."
When the toy is not in use it lives in Nigel's garden shed.
In similar news, police launched an urgent response following multiple reports of an escaped alligator in the US - only to find it was an inflatable crocodile.
Residents were horrified to spot the green reptile lurking in a pond in Stafford County, Virginia, last week and called officers for assistance.
Police rushed to the scene after telling residents that it could be dangerous to approach the creature unarmed.
But it runs out that the terrifying alligator was simply an inflatable swimming pool toy.
