Meerkat pub offering 'something unique'

The landlord of a pub which offers punters the chance to cuddle with a meerkat has said the animals "love the attention".

The Royal Oak Inn and Meerkat Retreat in Brockham, Surrey, claim to be the only UK pub with such an offering, which landlord Chris Collier said came about by chance.

After approaching a few zoos in 2023, Collier said he "got a call out of the blue a year later" about rescuing seven meerkats whose owner had been diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Collier soon discovered that the Royal Oak needed a new landlord, so he, plus seven meerkats, moved in two weeks later.