Marlborough residents had a surprise visitor last night as a wallaby was seen hopping along Elcot Lane.

A caller rang police at 11pm to report seeing a kangaroo on the loose, heading towards the A4 London Road.

It turned out to be a pet wallaby, which police say is now contained in a back garden in Elcot Lane while they liaise with the owner, who is from a farm near Mildenhall.

Elcot Lane resident Lionel Peck, 76, said: “I came back from shopping at about 11pm and the man across the road said he’d seen it out walking his dog. I thought he was seeing things.

“But then a woman rolled up in a Range Rover this morning asking about a wallaby. She said the male is always running away but this time it’s the female.

“It’s certainly caused a stir, it’s something I never expected to have here in Marlborough.”

The wallaby is native to Australia and is a member of the marsupial family, along with wombats and the Tasmanian devil.