Ferrets now more popular down south

Ferret ownership is now more common in the south-east than the north - partly thanks to celebrity owners such as Paris Hilton.

Possession of the mammals used to be synonymous with the north where 'ferret legging' became popular, particularly among miners.

But celebrity owners, such as Hilton, Madonna and Jonthan Ross, have now made ferrets fashionable in the affuent south-east.

The decline of the need for poaching with ferrets to feed families in the north has also contributed, according to the survey by Ferret Education and Research Trust.

The report, in association with UK feed supplier James Wellbeloved, found owners in the affluent south-east, including London, account for 27% of the pet ferret population.

The North of England's three regions account for 24% between them. Yorkshire manages just seven per cent.

Enthusiasts typically keep two animals, although the record is 160, according to the Guardian.

Steve Shillitoe, one of the north's remaining ferret enthusiasts, said there had been a "rebranding of the ferret from a working animal owned by a Yorkshire man in a flat cap to a companion animal for a young Essex woman

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