A duck waddled into a doctor's surgery looking for a 'quack'.

It sounds like the punchline of a quacking good joke but this shaggy dog story really happened when Mallory the mallard paid a surprise visit to Grovehurst Surgery at Kemsley, Sittingbourne.

Practice administrator Emma Matson said: "We couldn't believe it when we saw a duck waddling across our grass.

"I went to check if he was OK and then he followed me in. We couldn't get rid of him. He wouldn't leave. He is very domesticated."

The duck, dubbed Mallory by surgery staff, was one of the lucky few to fly in the face of coronavirus regulations and get his own face-to-beak meeting with a GP.

Emma said: "We didn't have any free appointments and he wasn't wearing a face mask but he started making his way along the hall until Dr Paul Cousins came out to see him. The only problem was when a patient came in with her dog. We had to keep the two apart."

The Kemsley duck is now being looked after by Ingrid Cole of Swale Wildlife Rescue at her home nearby. She was summoned by surgery secretary Lesley Devine.

Ingrid, 56, a mum-of-two, said: "I had a chuckle when Lesley called on Friday to say they had a duck at the surgery looking for a 'quack'. It is really tame, bless it, and totally hand-reared. I'd love to keep it but I already have a garage full of birds, rabbits, ferrets and baby hedgehogs.

"I haven't given it a name in case I get too attached but I know the girls at the surgery call him Mallory."

They are all desperate to quack, sorry, track down his owner.

Ingrid said: "Ideally, we want to reunite it with its owner. If that can't happen we need somebody who can give it a good home. It obviously loves people. We have tried nearby farmhouses but they haven't lost one.

"Someone will need patience because the duck refuses to feed itself. It insists on being fed by hand."

She added: "It was either spooked by something and flew into the surgery's grounds or it may have been dumped after growing up from a duckling. Not everyone can cope with ducks. They can be very messy and noisy.

"This one is not a normal duck. It quacks as soon as you leave it. It clearly fell in love with one of the women at the surgery and kept following her around. It must have been her legs."

If you think it is your duck, email jnurden@thekmgroup.co.uk.

Escaped animals, unusual finds and news from the RSPCA can all be found here.

Read more: All the latest news from Sittingbourne here