'Real-life Babe' as pig escapes in Newcastle

Image source, Northumbria Police

Image caption, The pig was spotted wandering around in Strathmore Crescent

A pig has been dubbed a "real-life Babe" after escaping and going on a city walkabout.

The errant porker was seen in the Benwell area of Newcastle at 11:30 GMT and there were concerns it might wander on to the road and cause an accident.

Northumbria Police passed the report to the RSPCA and the local council after it emerged it had been rounded up by staff at a local primary school.

The owner of the small black pig is now urged to contact the city council.

Northumbria Police said in a tweet: "Well, this isn't the kind of call we receive every day".

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Insp Kelly Hetherington said: "It did give us a bit of a chuckle, but there were some concerns that it might cause real problems.

"A lost pig isn't necessarily a police matter though, and when we heard it had been brought to safety we were able to pass this on to the council.

"We won't forget this one fast, and there's already been a few jokes about it being a real-life tale of Babe on an adventure in the big city!"