Jimmy's Farm and Wildlife Park has moved to dismiss concerns over the possibility of a bear escaping, ahead of the arrival of two more polar bears.

Staff members and nearby residents are among people who have expressed safety fears after it was reported Diego the brown bear tried to tunnel his way out of it enclosure over the weekend.

Keepers used concrete to back fill the small tunnel created, according to a person closely acquainted with the incident.

A spokesperson from the PR company representing Jimmys Farm denied any bears had attempted to escape, and back filling with concrete was common practise at the zoo.

However, Nub News was contacted on Sunday by someone close to staff members to say: "A brown bear nearly dug under the fence over the weekend and panicking, they had to back fill with concrete.

" Two more polar bears (are) coming Thursday from Yorkshire wildlife park and all the staff are scared that they are going to escape."

This follows concerns expressed by nearby residents about the bears and the wolves housed at the park, spooking pets and fam animals, especially when the wind blows the wild animals' scent in their direction.

"The Jimmys Farm spokesperson denied the incident happened and said: "Diego didn't escape, didn't 'almost' escape or try to escape – there are no signs or evidence of this.

"Concrete has been used on the farm since inception, across the farm's infrastructure and across a range of species enclosures."

 She added: "The safety and security of visitors and staff remain of the highest priority."

Polar bear in captivity (Picture: Nub News library)

The spokesperson confirmed more polar bears were on their way to the Wherstead site.

She said: "Jimmy's Farm is part of the EAZA Ex-situ Programme (EEP) whose aim is conserving and safeguarding healthy populations of threatened species and animals in captivity. Therefore, as is already widely known, more polar bears, and other species, will be relocated to Suffolk." 

Two polar bears arrived at Jimmy's Farm last October but the cub was found to be dead on arrival.

RIP Miki - the first polar bear to die in Suffolk...

Meanwhile, Jimmy Farm faced enforcement action after complaints were made that the polar bear enclosure had been built without planning permission.

As result a retrospective planning permission application was made, but has still to be decided with holding objections in place.

Full details here...