RSPCA officers have told a young girl to tidy her room and take better care of her socks after they were called in to deal with her laundry — mistaken for a lizard.

The RSPCA officers in Coventry, UK, were left astonished and confused after receiving a call from the family about a lizard home invasion.

The "terrified" family thought a resourceful reptile had sneaked into their teenage daughter's bedroom.

But when RSPCA officers were deployed to the house, they discovered the "intruder" was a striped sock.

According to the RSPCA, Animal Collection Officer Vic Hurr approached it "cautiously as she was unsure about what breed it could be".

"It was around seven inches long and about two inches wide," Ms Hurr said.

"It was protruding from the edge of the bed and it wasn't moving at all.

"As it wasn't very light, I got out my torch to see better and that's when I realised it wasn't a lizard at all … it was a pink stripy sock.

"I advised the young girl whose bedroom it was to tidy her room and to take care of her socks, but not before reminding her that another one will turn up soon as they are usually in pairs."