A HOPPING Houdini made a great escape from his run for the second time in just ten days - after he had been captured by a neighbour.

Pinot, the missing lop-eared rabbit first disappeared from his owner, Zoe Smith on Thursday, January 25.

She noticed he had gone missing from her back garden in Holtspur Avenue, Wooburn Green. But luckily a few hours later he was rescued by 28-year-old Debbie Howlett, who had no idea who he belonged to or where he had come from.

She spotted him while reversing into her driveway in Hill Farm Approach, Wooburn Green, a few yards away and managed to track down his family from an appeal in our sister paper, The Star.

The fluffy escape artist did not stay for long though, and after eight days in Debbie's back garden - before she was about to hand the 20-month-old back to the Smith family - he made his second disappearing act.

After picking her children up from school on Friday, Debbie returned home and discovered the roving rabbit had made a hop, skip and a jump for it. Debbie, mum to Joshua, 7, and Lauren, 5, said: "I spoke to Zoe and unfortunately had to tell her that we didn't have him.

"We've got one of our own and he was turfed out of the rabbit run and put in a hutch, he's never escaped.

"I don't know how he managed to get out, not a happy ending really. Hopefully he can't have gone too far."

Zoe, 30, mum to eight-year-old Chloe, three-year-old Mackenzie, and five-month-old Amy, said: "I just told a few people down the school, my poor rabbit's gone'. I didn't realise how upset I'd be about it.

"I'm now just hoping that someone else has got him. He's never tried to get out ever. If I find him again I'm going to put a collar on him with a little name in it.

"I've got an 80-foot garden, he's used to living out there."