Ananova:

Staff at a York hotel welcomed an unusual guest in from the pouring rain - a drenched ferret.

The ferret scuttled into the Judges' Lodgings Hotel when the door opened one wet night, reports the Yorkshire Evening Press.

Staff named him Pierre, because they thought he looked French, and put him up in a cardboard box in the wine cellar.

They say he seems tame - despite nipping a number of workers - and are hoping his owner comes forward to take him home.

Duty manager Catherine Bell said: "We'd opened the door to let someone come in, and the ferret scuttled in with them.

"He was soaking wet, so I think he'd been outside for at least a couple of hours."

Assistant manager Julie Smith continued: "The night porter caught him and put him in the wine cellar, in a crisp box.

"We did some research on the internet, and found that they like kitten food. So, we've gone out to buy some. I've named him Pierre, because he looks French. He has bitten some people, but so far he's left me alone."