Bushy-tailed creatures have been digging in handbags and scurrying up legs in Tonbridge.

Has the town produced an English equivalent of Gibraltar monkeys, famous for pick-pocketing and hair pulling innocent visitors?

A number of very friendly squirrels have become well known in the area for approaching walkers as they stop to feed birds on the grass outside Tonbridge Swimming Pool.

Wayne Taylor, who runs Medway Tackle on Shipbourne Road, often visits them with his mum, Sandra.

"They take food out of your hands and run up your leg as if it's a tree. I couldn't believe it at first." he said.

"We take monkey nuts to feed them now - some of them look like they've had a few too many!"

Victoria Weller has lived in Tonbridge her whole life and says the squirrels have always been very confident, but one particular rodent stood out above the rest.

The Tonbridge School cleaner from Coventry Road said: "I was walking along and all of a sudden something went up my leg, then his bottom end and tail were sticking out of my bag - he came out with nothing but I got a photo. I couldn't believe the size of him!"

People reckon the squirrels have a nutty motive.

Mr Taylor said: "I think they know people are going to turn up with bags of nuts to feed them."

Miss Weller added: "My kids used to take bread to feed the ducks but we also took nuts for the squirrels because they'd tried to take the bread from you."

These squirrels may be very amiable, but it seems they have overseas competition.

Six years ago, an American squirrel named 'Sneezy' allowed a Penn State University student to dress her up in a number of fetching hats, including a baseball cap and a fez.

Only time will tell whether the Tonbridge squirrels will reach this level of friendship with locals.