They may be more used to mobile phones or lost wallets being handed in, but police had an unexpected visitor when a terrapin was dropped on the front counter.

The reptile was spotted in the River Medway in central Maidstone and scooped up by a concerned passer by. It was taken to the Palace Avenue police station, where a bemused PCSO put it in a water-filled box.

He then travelled to a vets, who passed him on to the RSPCA.

But all the effort could have been avoided, as the aqua-loving little fella was actually quite safe living in the town’s waterway.

Although not native to the UK, there are a number of terrapins living in rivers and lakes across the country. Most have been released into the wild when their owners discovering the size they grow to and their demanding care regime.

A spokesman for the RSPCA said: “This one has been rehomed by someone out of the area.

“We didn’t really have any other involvement in this, as the terrapin wasn’t hurt, injured or suffering and the previous owner was unknown.”

Terrapins are a species of turtles that live in fresh or brackish water and eat frogs, fish and ducklings.

They boomed in popularity during the 80s, following the launch of the TV show Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles about four pizza-loving green crime fighters.

The natural habitat of the terrapin is the warm temperatures in America and so they are less likely to breed in the chilly UK climate, but can survive here.

The EU banned their importation in 1999 due to their impact on local species.

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