THANKS to a bit of Poirot-style detective work, a mystery continental cat has now been reunited with his grateful owner.

Francois, a young ginger and white moggy, was first found injured in the Quay area of Gorleston last month and brought in to Haven Veterinary Surgeons.

He was than taken to RSPCA East Norfolk, who puzzled over the mystery of a French microchip and speculated that he might have sneaked into the country via one of the many ships in port.

But Francois, dubbed Peppe by those at the charity, was no stowaway.

It was after contacting a French microchip company that staff tracked down the details of a lady who lives with her family across the channel in Caudecoste but spends four months a year in the Great Yarmouth area.

And it was branch manager Debra Cook who gave the good news to the owner, who does not want to be named.

She said: “I tried to dial the number several times but didn’t get through, and I was worried they wouldn’t speak English if I did. When I got through and told her, she was screaming down the phone because she was over the moon.

“She had lost him over the Christmas period and when he had escaped she and the family were frantic looking for him.”

The cat was collected on Sunday from the RSPCA branch by the owner’s youngest daughter Carla, pictured, and Carla’s son Tristan.

She will now be looked after by the owner’s oldest daughter Cheryl, with her husband and five children in Ipswich for the time being.