Roaming reptile Fred the tortoise has been returned to his loving family following an appeal from his owner in last week’s Gazette.

Veronica Tyrrell and her husband Steve, who live beside Hillworth Park, in Devizes, were frantic with worry after the tortoise, believed to be between 50 and 60 years old, went missing from their garden.

Mrs Tyrrell, 55, said: “There was a knock on the door late last Thursday night and there was a couple standing on the doorstep with Fred in their arms.

“They just handed him over to me and left. They wouldn’t take any kind of reward. I only managed to get the fact that they were called Patterson before they disappeared.

“I would like to thank them and the Gazette for the great article you did about Fred last week.”

Mrs Tyrrell said they have now fixed the hole in the fence through which Fred made his escape.