Lizard on the loose

The lizard may bite if provoked

A three-foot-long pet lizard has escaped from its owner's home in Gloucestershire.

A woman from the Tuffley area of Gloucester reported the monitor lizard missing on Wednesday night.

The lizard is described as mottled grey and brown in colour.

A spokeswoman for Gloucestershire police said: "The lizard will not intentionally harm anyone but it may give a bite if it is scared or provoked.

"Anyone seeing the lizard is asked not to try and capture it but to contact the police."

Reptile experts in the county believe the lizard could now be in hiding because of the change in weather.