When it comes to cooling down in the scorching sunshine, one creature has got it licked - Pudsley, the lager-swigging iguana.

The 4ft South American lizard likes nothing better than sharing a swift pint with his owner, Sue Farley, at their local at Selby, the Abbey Vaults.

Sue, 27, a clerical officer with Selby Town Council, said: "We normally sit in the beer garden, where he sits on my shoulder and helps me sink a pint of lager.

"We've also been in The Swan at Brayton, and Pudsley insists on coming to the bar with me." Abbey Vaults regulars thought at first they had drunk one pint too many when they saw an Iguana at the bar, but Sue says they have now grown used to him.

Pub manager, Mark Thompson, said: "It came as a bit of a shock when Pudsley first came in, but he's now quite an attraction and our customers make a real fuss of him."

The likeable lizard lives in The Courtneys, Selby, where he has outgrown his tank and now snuggles up in his own centrally-heated, en suite double wardrobe in Sue's bedroom. Inside the wardrobe is half a tree, heated tubes, ultra-violet lights so he can absorb calcium from his food, and a converted cat litter tray so he can have a bath.

Almost a vegetarian, he thrives on cabbage and dandelion leaves, lettuce, water cress, fruit (his favourite is strawberries), baked beans and the occasional lasagne.

Sue, who also has two dogs and a chinchilla, bought Pudsley from a pet shop in Cheshire three years ago when he was just a foot long.

The loveable lizard is quickly becoming a celebrity in Selby. He has just been invited to an open day at the Dam Veterinary centre in Leeds Road, where he will meet Dominic Brunt, who plays Emmerdale Farm's resident vet, Paddy.

l The spell of hot weather will continue until Wednesday, weathermen said today. Patchy cloud, the odd shower and a dip in temperatures can be expected. Chemists today reported a rush for sunburn remedies after the weekend sunshine. Elaine Chapman, consultant pharmacist at Boots in Selby, said one case had been a baby with a blistered face.

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