Don’t keep meerkats as pets – Simples!

East Riding Council says there has been in increase in demand for meerkats in particular since they were made popular through television adverts.

But it says the animals are often sold on their own because of the price of about £1,200, and they can become “depressed” if they are alone as they are used to living in groups of 10 to 30.

They also prefer to spend most of their time digging tunnels.

Coun Jackie Cracknell said: “Just because a meerkat has been seen on a commercial and it looks cute it doesn’t mean having one as a pet is a good idea.

“They should be left to the experts.”