WHEN he heard a squeak from under the bonnet Mike Bowman knew it was time to get his car into the garage.

But he couldn't believe it when his mechanic took a look - only to discover his car had become home to a family of field mice.

The cheeky rodents made themselves comfortable amid the spark plugs, leads and hoses of Mike's Citroen Xantia and even a drive to the garage and a thorough car service couldn't budge them.

Mike, aged 59 of Dorchester Road in Stratton said: "I took the car in for its MOT, but just 10 minutes after I dropped it off at Frampton Garage the mechanic was on the phone.

He told me a family of field mice were nesting right next to the engine - and it was the first time he'd seen anything like it.

"I was tickled pink when I was told I had a family of field mice living in my car - I think it's so extraordinary."

Garage owner Rod Thorne, who discovered the furry stowaways, said: "When I lifted up the bonnet I saw a pile of insulation was moving. I poked around in it and suddenly a little brown head popped up and I saw it was a mouse.

"I looked a bit deeper down and found a family of five or six tiny babies too. The funniest thing was we just carried on with the MOT inspection and the mother mouse was quite happy just sitting there watching us.

"We've come across nests in cars before when we've been working under the bonnet - but never ones that are still inhabited. It was quite remarkable really."

Mike, who is an artist added: "It's a mystery to me how they came to be there. This is a rural area with wildlife galore and we do have mice in the garage. But it's not as if the car isn't used regularly."

Mike says he's going to leave the tiny newborn mice where they are for as long as he can - but eventually he is going to have to use his car.

He added: "The mother has run off leaving her brood. We hope she will come back for them because they're really tiny and I don't know if they'll be able to fend for themselves.

"The nest has been built in a part of the car that doesn't overheat, so the mice are fine.

"When I have to remove them I will leave the babies as near to the car as I can in the hope the mother will come back for them."