THE joys and responsibilities of keeping pets such as lizards and iguanas were explained to animal lovers at a North-East store at the weekend.

More people are taking reptiles as pets, but there is concern many do not know how to look after them.

To ensure that would-be owners know what they doing, the Pets at Home store at the Arnison Centre, Pity Me, Durham City, held an advice weekend with specialists from the county's Proteus reptile sanctuary.

Sarah Beales and Neil Swann, of Proteus, who have appeared on TV shows including Pet Rescue and Animal Hospital, gave out information on responsible ownership to visitors to the store.

Sarah said: "Reptiles are the fastest growing sector of the pet industry in the UK, but unfortunately people's knowledge about reptiles - and what is involved in keeping them as pets - is fairly limited.

"Reptiles can make great pets, but at Proteus we are seeing increasing numbers of sick and abandoned reptiles.

"We have to make sure that people have realistic expectations and know how to keep their reptile safely and sensibly."