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Police and environmental protection officers raided a lock-up – and came face to face with a 2ft crocodile.

The spectacled caiman was being kept without a licence by a 30-year-old man in Middlesbrough, who was found out after posting messages on the internet. Last night, the council said: “The crocodile wasn’t happy about being taken out of his tank. He was only a baby but he had really sharp teeth.”

The reptile, called Fluffy, will be given to a zoo or an owner who has a licence.