Pet tortoise found in 11,000 volt electricity substation reunited with owner - after seven months

A schoolboy whose tortoise vanished seven months ago has been reunited with her - after she had a long 'power nap' inside an 11,000-volt electricity substation.

Harvey Dean-Evans, nine, was devastated when his beloved pet Mary escaped from the family home in Wigan in August 2022.

Alongside parents Jodie and Ryan, the schoolboy started a frantic search for the reptile - who would usually only hibernate for two to three months.

But when they were unable to find her they gave up and assumed she had gone forever.

“It’s fair to say nobody in the family thought we’d ever see Mary again, given the weather and the time missing, we just thought there’s no chance," Jodie said.

"Mary is used to being outside.

"During the summer, we regularly let her out in a small pen and she’s quite well-known on the estate.

“But that evening in August, she somehow got out of the garden and despite searching all over, there were just no signs of her and we thought she’d been taken.”

But seven months later, while clearing litter from the ground of an 11,000 volt electricity substation that powers the local area in Norley, maintenance worker at Electricity North West, Ben Baxendale, found the very lost tortoise.

“At first, I thought it was some sort of toy on the floor then I saw the tortoise move and retract its head into its shell," Ben said.

“It was certainly a strange one and something I’ve never dealt with before, I put the tortoise in a bucket and thought I’d knock on a few doors but knew if it wasn’t anybody’s we’d have to find it a home for the weekend."

Ben started knocking on the doors of houses just metres from the substation and the first person he spoke to was Harvey's grandmother who instantly identified the tortoise as missing Mary.

Once they heard the good news, Harvey and the rest of the family rushed round to see her.

“There was all sorts of emotions when we saw Mary, it was such a heart-warming moment to see the smile on Harvey’s face" said Jodie, who also has pet turtles and terrapins.

“He’s really into his animals and loves everything about nature, he was devastated when Mary had gone missing but seeing his reaction when she was found made a few of us cry.

“I honestly can’t thank Ben and Electricity North West enough, they really did make Harvey’s day.”

Ben said: "“We always make it clear that no one should ever enter our substations – they have ‘danger of death’ signs on for a reason – but this is the first time I’ve seen a trespassing tortoise!

"I’m just delighted we could return her safely to where she belongs.”