A SPANISH gecko gave packers at Buckfastleigh a big shock when it popped out of a consignment of peppers from Andalucia.

The lizard escaped from its confinement after lounging in a box in a refrigerated truck for the duration of its 1,650-mile trip from the southern end of the Iberian peninsula.

It leapt from its crate of romano peppers as the packers sorted out the delivery at Riverford’s farm on the edge of town.

The roaming reptile, identified as a Moorish Gecko, was unscathed after its chilly journey from farmer Paco Lozano’s organic farm in the Almería region.

The peppers were harvested last week when the go-for-it gecko made its move to become an international explorer.

It survived the temperature dip from 26°C to 8°C in the truck – and the subsequent exposure to a similar lack of heat in a British summer.

Tony Teague, a fridge team worker at Riverford, spotted the hideaway.

‘It was a bit of a shock,’ he said, adding: ‘I just saw something jump from the crate and scuttle across the floor. Luckily I was able to find it and pick it up before it got hurt or stood on.’

Fortunately, fellow Riverford employee and former reptile shop employee Meredith Price came to the rescue to identify the gecko and find it a home in these northern parts.

‘It’s fortunate for this reptile that we have such a short supply chain. The fact that our veg is delivered so fresh means it did not have too long in refrigerated conditions. Reptiles need external heat to survive as they can’t warm themselves like mammals can,’ explained Meredith.

Staff have since placed the wanderer at the Safe Haven Exotics Centre in north Devon.

The gecko isn’t the first overseas invader found hiding in Riverford fruit and veg. Previous visitors haveincluded a Caribbean lizard and a European tree frog.