Police say no fear of sting in the tale (From The Northern Echo)

Police say no fear of sting in the tale

11:25am Friday 10th September 2010 in

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POLICE admitted today they are baffled after a scorpion was discovered in a North Yorkshire town.

The two-inch long creature was discovered in the Mayfield Grove area of Harrogate last week.

It was handed into the local police station by a brave member of the public who found it.

Now a police wildlife officer in Harrogate is asking for the public’s help to trace the journey of the unusual visitor. Sadly the arachnid was already dead when officers took it into their charge, but they would like to know how a species that is native to North Africa or the Middle East, and is more at home in desert regions, came to be on a road in northern England.

PC Gareth Jones, Harrogate’s Wildlife Officer, said: “Although I haven’t managed to identify the exact species of scorpion yet, I do know that it is not one commonly traded in pet shops across the country. It may well have been a stowaway in a consignment of fruit or hitched a lift with someone who may have inadvertently brought it back following a foreign trip.”

Anyone who saw the wee beast before Thursday 2 September is asked to contact PC Gareth Jones at Harrogate police station on 0845 60 60 24 7.