A KANGAROO has been causing havoc on the roads of Kent.

A Maidstone man was driving along the A20 at Lenham when he claims the animal, more often seen in the Australian bush, jumped out in front of him.

The driver, who was heading in the Ashford direction at about 8.15pm on Tuesday, narrowly avoided colliding with the creature and it hopped away unscathed.

The incident was reported to Maidstone police.

The following morning, at about 7.20am, a motorist travelling between Ide Hill and Sundridge, near Sevenoaks, spotted what he thought was a kangaroo. As he approached, it hopped away into the countryside.

Klare Kennett, spokeswoman for the RSPCA, said: "People do have private collections with exotic animals, so it probably belongs to somebody. I don’t think there would be any harm in approaching it, but people should be careful.

"Note down where it is and contact the police or the RSPCA."

Other unusual animals have been sighted recently on Kent’s roads.

A wallaby died in a hit-and-run incident in St Michael’s, near Tenterden, in November last year.

Claire Squires, joint owner of Badgers Hall Farm in Chilham, near Canterbury, keeps seven adult wallabies plus five joeys on her land and allows visitors in for free.

Speculating that the wallaby might have escaped from its private owner, she said: "Wallabies are quite capable of living wild in England. Lots of people keep them. You can have them in your back garden - you don’t need a licence.

"It could have come from anywhere. They can travel. Think how big Australia is – these things are bouncing around all over the place. I’ve driven next to one at 40mph with no problems. They can really hop."

Kangaroos and wallabies are now living wild in the UK after escaping from zoos and private collections during the mid-20th century.