SCALY George was one of the biggest attractions at a west Hull park.

Now, concern is mounting over the safety of George the iguana after reports that he's being kept under lock and key in East Park.

George was reportedly moved from Pearson Park, in the west of the city, to East Park, off Holderness Road, in October to allow the Victorian Conservatory he had lived in for six years to be modernised.

Pearson Park visitors were told George should be home by Christmas, but the festive season came and went without a sign of him.

A notice stands in the window of the conservatory, saying it will reopen in early January and families say they are fed-up of waiting for George's return.

Anabel Emmerson, who lives off Queen's Road in west Hull, likes to visit George with her three-year-old daughter, Millie.

She said: "We were told George would be back in time for Christmas and then there was a note posted on the door that said the conservatory would reopen by January 31.

"But that has gone and nothing has happened and we have had no word of George.

"We are really missing him and I'm sure he is missing his home."

When the Mail contacted Hull City Council's press office to discuss George's return, the council issued a statement saying George was "fine" and "enjoying a nice cosy new home in East Park, as are the birds and a number of other creatures."

However, when the Mail requested to photograph George, we were told there were "welfare issues" surrounding the iguana and that a "photo call protocol" needed to be adhered to.

When a Mail photographer went to the park to try to track George down, he was told the iguana was being kept in a locked room and was not currently on display.

David Scott has three young children who regular visit George from their home in Albany Street, west Hull.

He said: "We want George back. He is a social creature, he always likes to say hello and he should be in Pearson Park where he belongs, not in a locked room."

George arrived in Pearson Park in December 2005 after he was donated to the conservatory by a woman who did not have room for the growing animal.

Now 14 years old, he quickly became a draw for the park. especially for younger visitors.

Ged Killen, 10, painted a colourful picture of George, with the iguana's name on it and it has hung on his cage for most of George's six years in the park.

Ged's mum Sally Hayes, curator of Beverley Art Gallery, said: "We used to live close to the park and we used to go to the park every day and we would always visit George.

"He was a firm favourite with the children and even though we live in Cottingham, we still go back to visit him. George is a centrepiece for the park.

"East Park has the llamas and I think George should be returned to his home."

The council is spending an undisclosed sum on doing up the conservatory and changing its heating system.

Councillor John Robinson, who is a trustee of Pearson Park, said: "I understand George is in East Park and, as far as I know, he will be coming back.

" I don't know when or why there has been a delay.

"We want to improve the living conditions for wildlife there. Animals should be kept in the very best conditions."

He said the conservatory, which also houses various types of fish as well as weird and wonderful insects, had been a feature of the park since around the time it opened in 1860.

Mr Robinson said: "We live in a city and giving children a chance to see wildlife and creatures like George is an important balance to city life."