An Isle of Wight woman said she feared her home had been burgled after she returned to find it ransacked — only to discover it was the work of a badger.

Charlotte Glazier, from Ryde, was left "really perplexed" upon seeing a hole chewed through her back door and her kitchen cupboards raided, when she came home yesterday (Wednesday).

A pane of glass had also been broken.

She thought a burglar was responsible for the damage and so carefully inspected the house along with her neighbours.

Fearing the intruder was still there, she also kept her children out of harm's way.

But she soon discovered it wasn't a burglar and was, in fact, a badger hiding under her bed.

Isle of Wight County Press: The hole in the door from the badger.The hole in the door from the badger. (Image: Isle of Wight Badger Trust)

Isle of Wight County Press: Badger hiding under the bed.Badger hiding under the bed. (Image: Isle of Wight Badger Trust)

After spending 45 minutes on the phone to police and the RSPCA, she eventually came across Badger Trust Isle of Wight.

Graham Lee, from the voluntary organisation, attended and when he entered the bedroom, he said he saw the badger sleeping in an upturned bin.

He told the County Press: "I watched it walk around the room to make sure it wasn't injured and then caught it and put it into our badger cage and gave it a check over."

He asked a neighbour to help carry the cage down the stairs and onto the pavement.

Isle of Wight County Press: Badger in a cage after being caught.Badger in a cage after being caught. (Image: Isle of Wight Badger Trust)

Graham then checked the badger over before opening the cage.

"She trotted off up the pavement without a care in the world towards a sett I know of", he said.

Charlotte said Graham was a "godsend" and believes the badger fell into her garden after walking along the outside wall.

As there was no way out, it must have got scared, she said, and so it chewed its way into her house.

It also bit through the pipe of the washing machine.

Charlotte, who works in delivering urban greening, said: "I'm all for rewilding but I didn't mean for a badger to be in the bedroom!"

She added: "Having a badger in my bedroom on Valentine's Day is certainly a first!"

She said she fears the clean-up could prove costly as her insurance provider will not cover the damage.

Isle of Wight County Press: Destruction in the kitchen left by the badger.Destruction in the kitchen left by the badger. (Image: Isle of Wight Badger Trust)