This little fella is one of Britain’s rarest animals. So it came as a bit of a surprise to wildlife enthusiast Patrick Sullivan when he caught the albino squirrel munching on a bird feeder in his East Grinstead garden.

The 66-year-old, of East Grinstead, said he could not believe his eyes when he saw the squirrel darting through the trees a few months ago.

Mr Sullivan added: “We’ve seen him a few times since then, so when we put in a bird feeder we were pleasantly surprised to see him visit.

“He is a lot more nervous than the other squirrels, so it was not easy to get the picture. The feeder is mainly for the birds, but I’m a nature lover and I’m happy to see him.”

Though relatively uncommon, albino squirrels can be seen in several parts of the South East of England.