Highways England road workers were in for a surprise when they spotted a real life game of cat and mouse down a drainage tunnel they were repairing lining on.
The operatives were doing the work off the A120 at Wix, in Essex, as part of a £5.98 million package of maintenance and improvement work across the A12 and A120.
Having installed the new drainage, the operatives ran a camera down to check for any problems and ensure everything had gone smoothly.
Their cameras soon picked up a large rat heading down one of the drains.
While this was no real shock, what was less expected was the hungry domestic cat in hot pursuit of the rodent, which the cameras picked up just a minute later.
Site supervisor Jason Appleton, who was overseeing the team, said: 'Sometimes we see rats going down the drains, but it's the first time we've ever seen an intrepid moggy in hot pursuit. It was like an episode of Tom and Jerry live.
'Occasionally when we have diversions in place for our road works residents express concerns about their village being used as a rat run. I don't think anyone ever expected this drainage to be used as one.'
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here