COUNTY NEWS: Rare creature unearthed in dredging of lake

By The Newsroom
Published 1st Mar 2018, 11:32 BST
Updated 8th Jun 2018, 06:23 BST
A snapping turtle was found as crews continue works on revamping Worthing's Brooklands LakeA snapping turtle was found as crews continue works on revamping Worthing's Brooklands Lake
A snapping turtle was found as crews continue works on revamping Worthing's Brooklands Lake
A rare creature has been unearthed in the regeneration of a popular Sussex lake.

Workers removing silt as part of the project got a shock when they spotted something slithering around in the mud in Brooklands Lake in Worthing, West Sussex this week.

Like a scene from cult film the Creature from the Black Lagoon, arising from the depths was a fully-grown common snapping turtle, which was discovered hissing and looking put out that its habitat was being disturbed.

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The engineers from environmental company Five Rivers managed to retrieve the female creature before it was swept up in the dredging work.

Five Rivers Site Technician Jimmy Griffiths with Terry the Snapping Turtle who was found at Brooklands LakeFive Rivers Site Technician Jimmy Griffiths with Terry the Snapping Turtle who was found at Brooklands Lake
Five Rivers Site Technician Jimmy Griffiths with Terry the Snapping Turtle who was found at Brooklands Lake

Because the company specialises in reviving natural habitats, engineers made sure they could find a new home for the turtle they named Terry.

Brooklands site manager for Five Rivers, Ben Sharp said: “We got quite a surprise when we saw it. We’ve discovered some weird and wonderful things during our work to clear lakes and rivers but never something quite like this.”

Ben and site technician Jimmy Griffiths searched for a suitable home for the turtle and found a shop called Littlehampton Exotics, in High Street, Littlehampton, which agreed to take her in.

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