Four crocodiles found in Croydon house

A routine police house call in Croydon, South London turned into anything but after four crocodiles were discovered hidden in a spare bedroom. Officers found the West African dwarf crocs – which are capable of tearing limbs off a human – cramped in a makeshift tank when visiting the house on an unrelated matter. The largest of the female reptiles, which measured more than 1m (4ft), was in such a bad way it died soon after being rescued. It is believed the unnamed owner, who did not have a licence to keep the protected animals at his house in Croydon, south London, bought them in Britain. It is not known how they were smuggled into the country. The reptiles were being kept in dirty pond liners before being seized and transferred to a quarantine facility at Heathrow airport. Rob Quest, of the London Animal Health Service, said: ‘We have collected Caiman crocodiles before. Dwarf crocodiles are much harder to get hold of. I wouldn’t even begin to guess how they got into the country.’ The owner faces a heavy fine if, as expected, he is charged under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976.