A MOTORIST who asked the garage to investigate a funny noise under his bonnet was shocked to find the cause...a squirrel had been using it to store hundreds of nuts!

James Whipps, 34, of Victory Close, Chafford Hundred, was worried when his 12-year-old red Ford Fiesta made a strange noise every time he drove over a hump.

He took his car to Halfords Autocentre garage, in Hogg Lane, Grays, and eventually mechanics discovered the main problem was a cheeky resident rodent had stashed hundreds of nuts inside his air filter.

Mr Whipps said: “I took my car in for its first full service since I bought it, in August 2013.

“They sent me a picture and a voicemail, saying a huge pile of nuts was found in the air filter box and the rattling noise would now disappear. 

"I couldn’t believe how many were in there. I can’t saywhether the squirrel is a local offender, but I’ve seen plenty near where I park.”

He added: “I think the moral of this story is it certainly pays to have your car fully serviced at least once a year...as you never know what you might find lurking there!”

Mechanic Lindsay Horne said: “It is a very rare issue. I’ve never seen it before with a squirrel, but I did once come across a field mouse that chewed through the electrics of a car.”