When a Coulsdon family returned from a trip to Turkey, the last thing they expected to discover was that an uninvited guest had smuggled their way home in one of the suitcases.

But as mother-of-two Emma Murray said, it turned out to be a welcome addition...after some initial shock.

"My husband was in the downstairs toilet and all of a sudden he was like 'oh my god, what the hell is that'," she said.

After a bit of research and some expert advice, the family believe that they unwittingly brought back a Mediterranean house gecko.

"It's just such a weird thing to happen," Mrs Murray said.

"We remember seeing them all over the place in Turkey, but not in our rooms."

After going a week in the house unnoticed, it seems the kids are keen to keep him around a little longer.

Mrs Murray isn't so sure though.

"I don't really need any more pets," she said.

"Plus he hasn't paid his rent.

"We still have to get him checked out to make sure he doesn't have any diseases, but after that, who knows."