A family in Bucks have issued a plea for members of the public to join the search for their 'happy chappy' pet tortoise who went missing two weeks ago.

Sam, who lives in Coleshill, said her family's pet tortoise Ricky went missing on Saturday, June 15 when the 50-year-old rescue animal wandered out of their property through a gate that had been left open. 

"My two young children are really upset. Ricky's usually very laidback, we even nickname him 'the lazy toad' because he's just a relaxed happy chappy.

"He's a much-loved family pet and we are all devastated."

Sam said she received a phone call last night (June 25) from someone in Hodgemoor who had picked up a lost tortoise - but when she drove to meet them, she found out that it wasn't Ricky.

"When I heard that a tortoise had been found, my heart leapt and I was praying that it was him. It ended up being a different female tortoise whose owners had also been looking for her, so at least I was able to help them."

She added that tortoises are more likely to venture further afield during the summer months, when males keep an eye out for females to mate with and females look for safe places to lay their eggs.

She is still hopeful that Ricky will turn up somewhere in her neighbourhood and has asked members of the public to get in touch if they think they may have spotted him in the areas around Coleshill.

"There's definitely a chance that we will find him. The little female tortoise that I managed to reunite with her owners today went missing for eight months last year and then suddenly popped up three gardens down from where she lived."

According to the Tortoise Trust, searching for lost tortoises necessitates a very thorough search of the surrounding areas due to the species' tendency to "burrow down" into areas of loose soil or vegetation, especially during very warm or cool weather.

Since tortoises are not wild in the UK, anybody who comes across one should carefully place it in a cardboard box with water and cucumber before making contact with the owner or getting in touch with the RSPCA.

If you have information about Ricky, or think you have spotted him out and about, you can get in touch with Sam by emailing findrickythetortoise@gmail.com.