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Police received a report of a "dead pig" blocking a Cambridgeshire road – but found the animal was in fact a “very much alive" badger and “persuaded the animal to move on”.

There have been several reports of pigs on the run and taking to the roads in an effort to flee.

But on this occasion the well-meaning member of the public who called police seemed to have misidentified the species of the creature causing traffic problems.

A police spokesman said: “We were contacted just before 10pm on February 5 with reports that there was a dead pig in the road at Hill Estate in Bury.

“Officers attended the scene and instead of a pig they discovered a live badger in the road. They persuaded the animal to move on.”

Officers also put out a report of the incident saying: “Police received a report of a ‘dead pig’ causing an obstruction in the road on the Hill Estate, Bury. However, when police arrived they found that the animal was in fact a very much alive badger. Officers ‘moved it on’...”