The average body length of adult rats is between nine and 11 inches, but one which was recently found in London was a good deal larger than that.

Gas engineer Tony Smith spotted the four-foot-long beast while working at a block of flats in the middle of London.

The outsized rodent was dead when Tony found it: "This is the largest rat I've ever seen in my entire life.

"I've got a cat and a Jack Russell and it was bigger than both of those put together.

"I'd say it was about four foot.

"We were going to stick it in the bin, but before we did we thought, ‘We’d better take a picture, or people won't believe it's real.’"

Tony explained that the estate where he was working has an infestation of rats, so there is poison left around to catch the creatures – enormous or otherwise.

He said: "The bins get left open nearby so these little fellas have a pretty good diet.

"They eat fried chicken and rice all the time."