A woman spotted taking her pet lizard for a walk on a lead said she was on her way to get him a winter coat.

Gina Fernandez, 48, was photographed strolling down the High Street in Margate with Benny the Bosc Monitor on a lead and cat's harness.

Gina saved the two-foot reptile after he was brought into the pet shop where she volunteers, malnourished and extremely ill.

She nurtured him for three months before adopting him and taking him home where he now lives alongside her three dogs, a cat and a corn snake.

Lizards, being cold-blooded, need heat from the outside to keep them warm.

One local shopkeeper said taking Benny for a walk at this time of year was cruel.

But Gina said she knew how to look after him with a diploma in animal care and she was on her way to get him fitted for a knitted jumper that day.

She said: "I knew a man who was selling knitted dog coats and I thought that they would fit Benny.

"I was taking him to a fitting so he could be measured for his coat."

Gina said she "supercharges" Benny with heat before taking him out.

She added: "The girl that had him did her best, but he was half dead, you could feel his bones and everything. He was black and his scales were falling off.

"I was taking him to a fitting so he could be measured for his coat" - Gina Fernandez

"He was kept in a 1.5 ft fish tank despite being 2ft long and his tail was curled up and he couldn't stretch out, it was heartbreaking.

"Benny is given heated pads, a heat bulb and stones which warm up, and before we go out I put him by a hot water bottle which supercharges him so he retains heat when we're outside.

"I would know if he was cold because he would be very still and not move, that's how reptiles retain heat, but he runs around and seems very happy.

"My three dogs, which are Chihuahua crossed with terriers, were a bit growley when Benny moved in and he was puffing up a bit.

"But as soon as they knew they weren't a threat to one another they were fine. I love having a house full of animals."

Gina, who moved to Margate after breaking up with her husband this year, has been suffering with depression and said that her animals are "the best therapy."