Two police officers successfully apprehended a pig after he was caught eating residents’ gardens.

Great Yarmouth PCs Joe Pike and Richard Bladon were called to the Southtown area of the Norfolk resort on Saturday.

They tracked down the large black hog and took him into their care.

Inquiries at the scene suggested the pig was someone’s pet, but his owner has not been found.

The officers decided it “seemed a bit harsh to arrest the pig for criminal damage”, so instead referred him to a local animal sanctuary.

Police said they were grateful to Hillside Animal Sanctuary for taking the pig in “before he turned to bacon in the heat”.

Posting on Facebook, they wrote: “As an officer, you think you’ve seen it all, but PCs Joe Pike and Richard Bladon had a new experience on Saturday morning (13 August) after they were called to the rescue of a big black piggy munching its way through gardens in the Southtown area of Yarmouth.”