Crocodile’s head pops up in puddle outside Buckinghamshire village

To be fair, that’s a pretty convincing croc (Picture: Thames Valley Police/SWNS)

Typical Britain, isn’t it? First you’ve got the terrible weather, then you’ve got the roadside flooding, and after all that, there’s a crocodile in the puddle.

The residents of Cholesbury in Buckinghamshire must have been rolling their eyes when they saw the reptile poking its nostrils above the water surface.

But, as the Thames Valley Police discovered when responding to reports, a crocodile’s head sticking out of a puddle isn’t always a crocodile’s head sticking out of a puddle.

When officers arrived at the scene on May 2, they soon realised there was no body attached, and the weirdly realistic head was made of plastic.

Yes, it was one of those near life-size children’s crocodile head toys. You know the ones.

The force put a light-hearted post on social media describing the incident – though curiously, there was no mention of how long it took officers to realise the truth about the creature.

It said: ‘It’s not every day that you get sent to reports of a crocodile in flood water near Cholesbury.

‘Do not be alarmed, the croc is now with us at the police station.

‘Did you know that it is not that difficult to tell alligators and crocodiles apart? One will see you later whereas the other will see you in a while.’

A brave Thames Valley police officer channels Steve Irwin (Picture: Thames Valley Police/SWNS)

It does look a lot less scary on a police station table (Picture: Thames Valley Police/SWNS)

A real rib-tickler, I’m sure you’ll agree. But in all seriousness, the best way to tell alligators and crocodiles apart is by looking at the teeth: an alligator’s lower teeth are not visible when its mouth is closed, while both upper and lower teeth are visible on a crocodile.

Crocs also have a narrow V-shaped snout, whereas an alligator’s is broader and U-shaped. We’re laughing and learning.

If you do see a real crocodile in a puddle in the UK, definitely call the police – they’re not native anywhere in Europe, so it really shouldn’t be there.

This isn’t the first time officers have been called to similar reports, though. Two years ago, a far less convincing one caused brief alarm in Sheerness, Kent.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.