A menagerie of animals paid a visit to children at the Noah's Ark Nursery in Okus Road.

A group of 16 youngsters at the nursery were introduced to a corn snake, a cat, a cluster of giant African snails and a dog all under the supervision of veterinary nurse Jane Carter, of Drove veterinary practice.

Deputy manager of the nursery, Jo Higgs said: "The children were really captivated. They dressed up as veterinary nurses and were able to find out about and hold all the animals.

"The cat was fitted with an identity microchip, so the kids had great fun scanning the cat to bring up its details.

"They also lay on the ground next to the snake to see how long it was."

The visit was part of a rolling programme by Drove Veterinary Surgery to promote the care of animals.