A LITTLE rodent has proved a big problem for a North-East motorist.

When Michael Charlton took his nearly-new Renault Clio to the garage because it would not accelerate beyond 30mph, and was making terrible noises, he knew there would be some sort of spanner in the works.

But he could not have predicted the problem would prove to be a mouse, which had set up home in the engine.

Mechanics at Reg Vardy in Durham City delved under the car's bonnet and were baffled when they discovered the air filter was stuffed with more than 100 dog biscuits.

The garage told Mr Charlton, 56, of Stanley Crook, near Crook, County Durham, they had never seen anything like this before - and neither had Mr Charlton, who was mystified as to how the biscuits had ended up in his engine. That was until his son Jonny, 31, mentioned their garage had a resident mouse.

The family investigated and found a bag of dog biscuits had been nibbled in the garage - and then they realised the mouse had set up a nest in the Clio.

Mr Charlton's wife Janet, 52, said yesterday she was not surprised.

She said: "Things like this always happen to Michael. He says he was born under the unluckiest star in the sky.

"We call him Victor Meldrew. He even got his finger stuck in the mouse trap he put down."

Mr Charlton said: "Everyone I have told has just laughed and I was laughing too, but it has cost me £500."