A woman from Hatfield is desperately searching for her lost tortoise after it escaped from her garden last month.

Astrabacus, also known as Gus, is a two-year-old Hermann's tortoise that lived with Bella Muwanga at her home in Green Lanes.

The tortoise made his escape on Sunday, June 25, with Bella telling the Welwyn Hatfield Times: "At the bottom of our garden there’s a gate which has a bit of a gap underneath.

"Usually, there’s a plank of wood to cover the gap, but for whatever reason that had moved, and we think Gus has seen that as a bid for freedom.

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"We were out at this time, and we usually just let him wander around the garden and everything is fine.

"But when we got back, we realised the plank had moved and he was nowhere to be seen."

Bella has been desperately searching for Gus ever since, but has not heard any news since his disappearance.

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"We’ve been out knocking on doors, checking gardens, putting up posters and posting on social media, but we’ve heard nothing," she added.

"No one has responded so we aren’t too hopeful. It’s upsetting and we really hope we can get him back."

If you have any information about Bella's missing tortoise, please call 07305688067