A county sheriff with a sense of humour has delighted social media with his wanted poster for Punxsutawney Phil - the legendary groundhog who forecasts the end of winter.

The handlers of the groundhog last month said the furry rodent called for six more weeks of winter after seeing his shadow. The Monroe County Sheriff's Office said that six-week period expired last week, yet a spring storm then brought more snow to the north-east.

Corporal Scott Martin told WBRE-TV he created a poster and placed it on the "wanted wall" because he is sick of snow in the spring. The poster claims Phil is wanted for deception. Phil is described as having "brown and grey hair, brown eyes, sharp teeth". Records dating to 1887 show Phil has predicted more winter 103 times while forecasting an early spring just 18 times.

From Wikipedia:

Punxsutawney Phil is the name of a groundhog in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. On February 2 (Groundhog Day) each year, the town of Punxsutawney celebrates the legendary groundhog with a festive atmosphere of music and food. During the ceremony, which begins well before the winter sunrise, Phil emerges from his temporary home on Gobbler's Knob. According to the tradition, if Phil sees his shadow and returns to his hole, he has predicted six more weeks of winter-like weather.

If Phil does not see his shadow, he has predicted an "early spring."

The date of Phil's prognostication is known as Groundhog Day in the United States and Canada, and has been celebrated since 1887. Punxsutawney Phil became an international celebrity thanks to the 1993 movie Groundhog Day.