George Twiselton of Knightscliff Way, Duston, inherited Pedro the monkey five years ago from a fellow animal lover who lived abroad most of his life, collecting and studying wildlife.

Mr Twiselton said: "The monkey was the thing I kept, partly for sentimental reasons and partly because I didn't know what else to do with it.

"But if anyone would like a pickled monkey, they can certainly have it."

Mr Twiselton inherited the dead monkey from his friend, an old explorer who lived in Charnwood Avenue, Weston Favell. Before the animal died, he had treated it like a member of his family and used to read him bed-time stories.

But when Pedro died, his owner couldn't bare to be without his friend, so he had him preserved, pickled and placed in a bell jar on his dining room table.

After his death, such was the volume of clutter in his house, Angela Twiselton, Mr Twiselton's daughter, who is a trained "clutter consultant", was called in to clear the house.

She said: "The man was dead so he wasn't able to see my reaction when I saw the monkey, which was to run away screaming.

"It was the most unusual thing I've ever found. I was walking round each room wondering what I was going to find next"

After keeping the monkey in his loft for a number of years, Mr Twiselton has now passed it onto his daughter in the hope she can find a new owner for it.

The animal is so well preserved Mr Twiselton says it can't be buried for fear that someone may, one day dig it up and mistake it for a newborn baby. They also can't burn the monkey due to the amount of preservatives in his body.

If anyone knows of a good home for Pedro, they can call the Clutter Clearing Consultancy on 0870 429 9594 or email info@clutterclearing.net.