WHEN the AA was contacted by a driver about a problem with an axle, they thought it was a standard call-out.

But that could not have been further from the truth as the caller revealed their new pet raccoon - called Axl - had got stuck behind the dashboard.

The furry pet, who was named after Axl Rose from rock band Guns 'N' Roses, caused the chaos when his owners stopped for a coffee at Winchester services on the northbound M3.

The couple from Essex were on their way back home after collecting the nine-week-old cute raccoon from a breeder.

But when the pair got out to stretch their legs cheeky Axl undid the lock on his cat carrier and got cosy behind the car dashboard for a snooze.

Trainee AA patrol worker Jamie Clowes, from Basingstoke, tried coaxing him with a penguin biscuit but eventually used his air compressor to encourage him out.

He said: "Thankfully it worked and he came down unharmed by his experience. Afterwards I had to check that he hadn't disconnected anything as the owner said they're rather dexterous and have a tendency to unplug things."