A CURIOUS tale of a hunt for a bear in a Wrexham village has been re-told as North Wales Police marks its 50th anniversary.

As part of celebrating the milestone, NWP have been delving into their archives to share pictures and tales from the past half-a-century.

And, this week, they have re-lived what must have been quite the fright for the village of Brymbo in Wrexham.

That comes from the 1970's, when police were called to attend a farm where a farmer had found his sheepdog dead.

He reported what he believed to be a 'wolf-type' animal having disappeared into the woods after the attack.

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Officer Cyril Jones later found the bear which proceeded to attack the patrol car he was using.

The force say that the bear belonged to someone local who came to collect it and returned it home.

Re-calling the story, a spokesperson for North Wales Police said: "In the 1970s, officers based in the Wrexham Traffic Department were called to attend a farm near Brymbo where a farmer had found his sheepdog dead, and saw what he thought was a wolf-type animal disappearing into the woods…

"After a short search of the area, the officers found the bear who then proceeded to attack their patrol car!

"Eventually the keeper of the bear arrived and returned it home. It was discovered that the bear had escaped from a nearby dog kennel where it was being reared by the owner.

"PC 629 Cyril Jones had quite a job explaining his damaged patrol car to his boss!"