When a series of potholes appeared in the city, the town of Oviedo, Florida sent a robotic camera into a storm water pipe to investigate “anomalies” under the roadway. They were shocked to find a 5ft (1.7m) alligator.

“At first, they thought it was a toad and in the video, you see two little glowing eyes until you get closer – but when it turned around, they saw the long tail of the alligator and followed it through the pipes,” Oviedo city officials said.

“Thank goodness our crews have a robot”, officials added, warning locals not to wander down into the pipes.