Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The RSPCA discovered a snake trapped in a loft was a child's cuddly toy - not like the real one pictured here

The RSPCA was called out to catch a stray snake in a loft which turned out to be a child's cuddly toy.

A welfare officer made the discovery at a property in Surrey after being contacted by a distressed homeowner in December.

It is a one of a string of calls made to the animal welfare charity where people have mistaken objects for living creatures.

The RSPCA is urging the public to double check before raising the alarm.

Other call outs include a report in November that an owl had been sitting on a roof for more than four days and appeared unable to move.

Inspectors discovered that the creature was in fact made out of plastic.

Stone tortoise

A month later animal collection officer Alan Farr was asked by a homeowner to help find a trapped bird which was making a "peeping noise" in her loft.

"After searching around and unable to find the mystery bird, I then went into her front room and found a smoke alarm beeping after the battery had gone flat," he revealed.

Image copyright RSPCA Image caption This plastic toy was mistaken for a live crocodile

Others include:

A call made about an escaped tortoise in a garden which turned out to be made of stone

A welfare officer was called to help a collapsed horse but instead found only a pile of hay

A caller told the RSPCA a cat was stuck in the cavity of a wall after hearing a noise. It turned out to be coming from a computer game in a nearby bedroom

An officer was dispatched to help a bird tangled in an aerial which was revealed to be a kite - attached to the aerial to deter wild birds

The RSPCA was called to reports of an animal stuck under a floorboard making a "yowling noise" - which it discovered was a rose brush scraping on a window

A collection officer went out to rescue a baby crocodile on the side of a road which was in fact made out of plastic.

The charity's 24-hour cruelty line received 1,153,744 calls in 2016, 3% more than the previous year.

It has urged the public to make sure they have a genuine problem before getting in touch.

RSPCA spokesman Dermot Murphy said: "We know that people mean well and most of these calls are not made in malice, and although we would like to be able to help everyone, we simply haven't got the staff to personally investigate each and every issue that the public brings to us.

"We must prioritise to make sure we get to the animals most in need."