A pet tortoise had to be rescued by emergency vets when he got a garden strimmer plug stuck under his shell in a bizarre accident.
Mr T was strolling around his owner's garden in Alfreton when the accident happened. The six-year-old pet became entangled in the cable when he walked over it.
Jill Johnstone has owned him since he was small. The accident happened when her son, Scott, was putting the strimmer away.
Jill, 60, said: "It was panic stations. My son Scott was putting the strimmer away when Mr T walked over the wire and got it wrapped around his neck and the three pin plug stuck under his shell and between it and his front leg.
"Scott stayed very calm but I was really panicking as we tried to pull him loose and we couldn't get him free. His head was stuck outside his shell when his natural response was to try and go back into the shell which really didn't help things."
Mr T only suffered minor damage to his shell but was sent to Vets Now emergency vet in Alfreton.
On arrival at Vets Now, principal vet Lisa Fotheringham and her experienced team were faced with a real first – a much larger than average tortoise with the remains of a garden strimmer attached.
Lisa said: "It was easy to spot the electrical plug and remnant of cable in between his front leg and his shell.
"We had never had anything like this in the clinic before - most tortoises are smaller than Mr T and we think it was his large size that enabled the accident to happen."
