Police think the tortoise came from China

The creature was thought to have come from China and was illegally brought into the country by an overseas student at Sunderland University.

A member of staff tipped off the police when the four-inch reptile was spotted in the student's accommodation.

A Northumbria Police spokesman said: "No police action is being taken although the matter has been passed onto the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs."

He said the tortoise was now being cared for at a wildlife centre.

A spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the importation of tortoises was restricted by licence.

He confirmed they were investigating the incident.