THERE was more than a hint of monkey business going on in Witchford overnight after a 15ft mechanical gorilla suddenly appeared in the village.

The enormous metal figure was discovered lurking in a misty hedgerow by dog walkers on Thursday morning, having being discarded on a public byway just off Sutton Road.

The mechanised beast has a number of moving parts but is in a poor state of repair, with many of its components badly rusted.

A dog walker said: “I walk my dog there everyday and it appeared out of nowhere on Thursday morning. I took one look at it and couldn’t quite believe it, it’s enormous.”

A spokesman for East Cambridgeshire District Council (ECDC) confirmed that the authority had been made aware of the gorilla and that investigations were being carried out as to how it ended up in the village.

The spokesman added that the gorilla would be taken away for disposal if it was found to be on public land.