Police called to reports of a crocodile seen in flood water near an English village have escaped unharmed after discovering locals were fooled by a replica.

Officers from the South Buckinghamshire team at Thames Valley Police investigated after receiving reports of the reptile’s head poking above the surface of waters near Cholesbury, a village near Tring, on the border with Hertfordshire, last week.

But rather than having to battle an escaped man-eater, they found it was actually a replica, or decoy crocodile’s head, available from as little as £6.99 online and described in some reports as a toy.

The force took it in good heart, posting on Facebook: “Crikey! It’s not every day that you get sent to reports of a crocodile in flood water near Cholesbury.

“Do not be alarmed, the croc is now with us at the police station.

“Did you know that it is not that difficult to tell alligators and crocodiles apart? One will see you later whereas the other will see you in a while. #BadDadJokes.”

As well as a picture of the head in the water near a police vehicle, the force uploaded images of the ‘croc’ on a table at a police station and one of its officers carrying it away.

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Dozens responded to the post, with comments showing they saw the funny side. Karandeep Chana dubbed the officer the “real Crocodile Dundee of TVP”, while Carolyn Ward drily replied: “So brave”.

Wayne Martin was one of several who went with the classic response to any crocodolian-related story, saying: “Hope you made it snappy getting there.”

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There were also references to April Fool’s Day, while Martyn Dehany posted a photo of a model croc in a beer garden, telling officers “There’s another one outside my local boozer if you want it.”

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