'Are there any regulations on keeping a crocodile in my back garden?’ is just one of many bizarre questions put to a council customer service team over the past year.
Another of the unusual calls to Reigate and Banstead Council over the past year has been to enquire how long it will take for an egg to hatch under a heat lamp.
The council revealed that during the snow at the start of the year someone called to complain about a snowman being demolished as they assumed the council refuse crew had done it.
The call centre was also asked if a crew could take down a snowman built by the caller’s daughter in her front garden.
Other calls to Reigate and Banstead council include:
- "I awoke this morning and opened my curtains and there are hundreds of sheep in my garden, what shall I do?"
- " There is a bread roll under my car, can you send out a sweeping crew to deal with it?"
- "Can you identify this snake? I’m standing at the top of the hill in Priory Park and I don’t know if it’s a harmless grass snake or something more sinister.
The questions were submitted by the council to the Local Government Association (LGA) that put together a top 10 of the most bizarre calls. The crocodile question made number one.
A Reigate and Banstead spokeswoman said there was some logic to it: "We are the licensing authority on dangerous animals so people would need to contact us if they want to keep one."
Councillor Peter Fleming, chair of the LGA's improvement and innovation board, said: "These light-hearted examples show the wide range of issues council staff deal with each day.
"Councils literally have to be ready for anything from the serious to the mundane and sometimes even mind-boggling.
"Councils try to help callers with support and advice as much as they possibly can. While the vast majority of calls fall within the bounds of councils' usual responsibilities, there are occasions when call handlers are left baffled.
"The fact that councils are so often the first port of call for residents who are seeking a solution to their problems shows just how central a role councils play in the lives of their communities.
"While councils offer more than 800 local services, some requests really are beyond them."
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