Police were left baffled after a suspicious package found in a canal - thought to be a dead animal - turned out to be a duvet filled with COCONUTS.

Officers in Trafford were called after a walker pulled what he believed to be a bag full of animal bones from the Bridgewater Canal near Longford Wharf on Stephenson Road in Stretford.

The man noticed the suspicious-looking package floating in the water at about 4pm on Sunday and took it upon himself to haul it on to dry land.

He told police he thought it might be a dead animal because it had a ‘strong odour’ and was ‘leaking white fluid’.

It was later discovered the bundle was in fact a duvet filled with coconuts, which had been tightly-wrapped and hurled into the water.

Officers manning the GMP Stretford account tweeted: “Reports of a bag of bones in the canal. Found to be a duvet full of coconuts #strangefind.”

It is not known where the unusual package came from - or why someone chose to dispose of the fruit in such a bizarre way.