An American black bear broke into a house in Colorado before escaping by smashing through a wall.

The animal left a hole “like the Kool-Aid Man”, police in the town of Estes Park said.

No one was in the property at the time of the incident on Friday night and no one was injured, officers said in a post on Facebook.

But the owners will now be looking at a significant repair bill, it seems.

Describing the incident, attending officers said they visited the house after becoming aware of unusual activity there.

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“Upon officer’s arrival, said bear forcibly breached a hole in the wall like the ‘Kool-Aid Man’ and made its escape,” their statement on social media said.

Police said the bear – a species which can typically weigh in at 550lb (250kg) – had probably been attracted by the smell of rubbish coming from the property.

"For your safety, and the lives of these bears, please close and lock all windows and doors to your house and vehicles," the statement said.

"Make it a routine to check everything is closed up before you go to bed or leave the house to do errands.

“Please do your part to keep bears wild. Bears are extremely smart, which means we all have to be too. Sometimes it’s literally as easy as a push of a button or flick of a lock."

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