'Extinct' giant beetle is found

The beetles are still found in France but are classified as rare

A giant beetle which was believed to have been extinct in the UK since the early 18th Century has been found on an industrial estate in Gloucestershire.

The Capricorn beetle, which is 3.5cm long (1.4in), was found in Ashchurch by a member of the public who took it to local environmental health officials.

The insect has now been re-homed at the Stratford-upon-Avon Butterfly Farm.

Experts said they believed the beetle arrived in the UK on wooden pallets imported from abroad.

Capricorn Beetles are still found in France and other parts of Western Europe, but are classified as extremely rare.

They are one of Europe's largest kinds of beetle and come from the long horn family of the insect.

The insect has large, powerful jaws capable of biting through wood and "can give a nasty nip", a spokeswoman for the butterfly farm said.

She added that the beetle, which is thought to be male, would remain at the attraction for visitors to look at it.