A NEW St George’s Day mascot — the Little Lever Beaver — popped up in Bolton town centre to fly the flag for England.

The top-hat wearing rodent is the creation of husband-and-wife team Phil and Angie Sutcliffe, who said they wanted to mark the Saint’s holiday by bringing their very own creation to the Town Hall steps.

The couple run their own party planning company, Little Spadger, from their home in Lincoln Avenue, offering bouncy castles and fun costumes for events and charity fundraisers.

Mrs Sutcliffe said it was good to meet Bolton shoppers on Wednesday and show them what St George’s Day is about.

She added: “Scotland, Ireland and Wales are all proud to fly their flag, what about England?

“We’ve spoken to lots of people about St George’s Day, it’s not derogatory — it’s about celebrating England.

“We came up with the Little Lever Beaver as we wanted something that rhymed with the place — I was born in Little Lever and now we’ve settled here after travelling for 30 years.”

Beavers are now extremely rare in the UK, after they were hunted to extinction in England during the 12th century.