Stop there! Police rescue lost turtle from Portsmouth roundabout

Officers were left bemused this morning after a small terrapin turtle was discovered on the Hilsea roundabout.

A member of the public approached two officers, who were parked up in a police car, to tell them the animal was stuck in the middle of the roundabout.

But by the time they went to look, the terrapin had made its way across two lanes and was stranded in the inside lane.

One of the officers got out the car and took it away to safety.

The turtle was taken back to the force’s Havant base, where it was put in a box of water and taken to Emsworth Aquaria in Drayton.

Hampshire Constabulary’s roads team tweeted a picture of the turtle, and wrote: ‘Rescue of the day so far by #3197 assisted by #3073 found on the #hilsea roundabout #3073’.

Predictably Twitter users quickly made light of the situation by commenting on the post.

Jackie Clevett said: ‘Did it fail to stop?’

And Paul Newton commented: ‘Better go back and look for the hare, the tortoise was probably in a race.’

It is not the first time officers have been called out to rescue stranded animals.

In February two lanes had to be closed on the M27 after a swan landed on the road and disrupted traffic.