Residents dialled 999 after ankle-biting ferret went on hour-long rampage at block of flats

Residents were forced to dial 999 after a runaway ferret started biting people's ankles at a block of flats. Police, an ambulance and RSPCA staff were called to Ribblesdale Court in Chilwell, Nottinghamshire. Resident Merrell Smith said the ferret, nicknamed Fred, snapped at her feet for over an hour and when her neighbour tried to intervene, the ferret bit him before attacking someone else.



The commotion stopped when one of the residents lured the ferret into a cat box with a piece of ham and trapped it inside. However, despite being caged the ferret still bit the RSPCA officer who came to collect it.  Ms Smith said: "I heard my neighbour calling me and when I opened the door there was this ferret, outside my door, running around. I was talking to my neighbour about what to do when it just literally went for me.

"I tried to shoo it away but it just kept going for me and going for me. This went on for about an hour or so. It just kept trying to bite me. It was horrible and my ankle is painful to walk on." Ms Smith will need a tetanus jab from her GP after suffering from several bites. Stephen Hornby, 24, finally caught the ferret over an hour after he was first spotted. The ferret was taken by the RSPCA to the Radcliffe-on-Trent animal shelter, where staff say he appears to have calmed down and is settling in well.



Shelter manager Ella Herring said: "He's being cared for by people with expertise in looking after ferrets. We'll see if an owner comes forward and if not he will be assessed for re-homing. Owing to his temperament, we'll probably be looking for someone experienced in ferret care." The ferret, which staff have renamed Orchard, has not bitten anyone since arriving at the shelter.