Meet Bud the skunk, who kicked up a stink when he was discovered curled up under a bush in Keighley town centre.

Officers from the RSPCA spent an hour attempting to catch the wily creature after he was found sleeping by pub landlord Dave Bennett while he took his two dogs out for a walk.

Mr Bennett, licensee of the Gardeners Arms, was walking his Jack Russell Chewy and King George Spaniel Tilly, in Hannover Street, when they shot off to chase what he believed to be a cat.

But they got more than they bargained for when the skunk took aim and sprayed the dogs with vile-smelling liquid from its hiding place.

Mr Bennett, 59, said: “As soon as I got close I could see it was a skunk.

“Chewy had it cornered before I got to him and got sprayed. It smelt awful.

“He still smells of it and I have bathed him and the spaniel because it got him as well.”

Mr Bennett called the RSPCA to capture the skunk, which was thousands of miles away from its usual habitat.

“They asked me to catch him,” he said, “but I wasn’t going to get the smell on me.”

RSPCA inspector Dave Holgate took the animal away on Wednesday.

He said: “The skunk is in reasonable body condition which makes me think it’s either recently escaped or it’s been dumped.

“Thankfully we managed to avoid being sprayed, which is a really unpleasant experience, though the dog that first came across it wasn’t so lucky.”

Skunks can be kept as pets in this country.

It used to be common for them to have their scent glands removed, effectively preventing them from spraying but this has now been made illegal.

Inspector Holgate said: “Like all exotic animals, skunks have very specific needs which make them difficult to keep in a domestic environment.

“They really aren’t ideal pets at all, not least because of their potential to spray.”

The skunk is being cared for by the RSPCA until an appropriate home can be found.

Inspector Holgate said: “We’ve called it Bud because it’s American and was found under a buddleia bush.”