Croc-quePORT?

Crocodile in the Channel! France closes beaches after 'huge' beast is spotted

By Peter Allen

Last updated at 8:59 PM on 20th August 2010

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English Channel beaches in France were closed yesterday after a crocodile was said to have been spotted in the sea.

The 'huge' creature was apparently seen swimming around sailing boats in the port of Boulogne.

It is high season on the Channel beaches, with thousands swimming and sunbathing, and a local official said: 'We decided to close all beaches nearby and ban swimming just in case.

Quelles dents! A sal****er crocodile, like the one that may have been swimming off the French port of Boulogne-sur-Mer

'All local zoos and amphibian centres are being investigated to see if any of their crocodiles are missing. We can take no chances.'

Police and fire brigade officials supported by the army carried out a wide-ranging search, broadcasting warnings in English and French to holidaymakers.

Jeremie Marion, spokesman for the Opale animal welfare agency, said that if a crocodile was in the Channel then it would be in great discomfort and accordingly extremely dangerous.

Mr Marion said: 'If a there was a crocodile in the area he would not live for long, because an animal with cold blood needs a temperature of around 30 degrees.

'Crocodiles, which usually inhabit tropical areas, do not like cold water, and would find the Channel waters 'extremely unpleasant, not to say life-threatening', said Mr Marion.

The crocodile was spotted near the English Channel port town of Boulogne-sur-Mer

The first reported sighting of the beast came on Thursday, from two local men identified only as Pierre and Laurent. They said they had seen an animal about 9ft long.

Local newspaper The Voice Of The North said that further warnings were later received from other witnesses.

The claims were immediately investigated by the Opale agency, which started co-ordinating the search.

First port of call was the giant aquarium on the seafront at Boulogne called Nausicaa, but it has never contained any crocodiles. A spokesman said: 'We have sharks, sea lions, and all kinds of other aquat ic creatures, but not crocodiles.'

The red flag alert banning swimming was lifted on some beaches following the search, but bans at other beaches still remained in place yesterday.

Wild crocodiles can be extremely dangerous to humans, whom they often chase and then attack.

Species such as the Sal****er crocodile can grow up to 25ft long and have been known to swim hundreds of miles to reach new habitats.

Earlier this week beaches were shut in the south of France following a shark alert, but the creature turned out to be a dolphin.