AN astonished driver claims he saw a kangaroo hopping along the road in a city estate after he pulled off the motorway.

Mr Edwards, a professional photographer, could be forgiven for thinking he was in the land down under when he spotted what he is convinced was a kangaroo in Warndon Villages.

He was driving in Worcester last night (Wednesday) after coming off the M5 at junction 6 when he saw what he said was a small kangaroo about 1,000 yards from the Tesco petrol where he was going to refuel. 

Describing his 'shock and disbelief', he said: "I'm a professional photographer all my life and with 20/20 vision. 

"I was driving at a steady 22-25 mph with no traffic behind me or in front.  

"My LED headlights were on dip and about 1,000 yards before Tesco petrol station (which was now closed ) at 9.40pm my headlights picked out a jumping small kangaroo hopping along the hedgerow approximately one years old.

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"I couldn’t believe what I saw, I followed it for 20-30 yards clear as day in my LED lights then it swerved into an opening and disappeared. It was definitely a kangaroo!  I had plenty of time to see it.

"I turned the car around to see if I could see it again. I reported this to the police who noted it.

"I thought either it was someone’s exotic pet or an escaped animal from a kids' wildlife park.

"I didn’t have time to park the car safely and take an iPhone in my hands whilst not driving to film it, but for certain I saw a small kangaroo with a long tail and small front legs hopping along the hedgerow.  My LED headlights picked it out well." 

A spokesperson for West Mercia Police said: "We did receive a report of a sighting of a kangaroo around 9.30pm yesterday evening (15 November) just off the M5 towards Warndon.

"The caller was advised that we would monitor any more sightings. So far, we haven’t received any more sightings of a Kangaroo."

In 2018, the body of what was believed to be a small wallaby was filmed on the M5 motorway in Worcester.

Smaller than a kangaroo, there have been reports of wild wallabies in the British countryside.

People's Trust for Endangered Species said the red-necked wallaby is closely related to the kangaroo though the size of the UK's population is unknown.

Colonies exist in Scotland and on the Isle of Man. There was a colony in the Peak District though there have been no sightings since 2000 so they are thought to be extinct.