Sarah Joiner has owned Zuma for four decades.

Pet rescued after being collected by a rubbish truck

A pet tortoise that crawled into a rubbish bag and was collected by a refuse lorry has been returned home safe and well, after city council and waste services staff went to extreme lengths to save him.

Worried owner Sarah Joiner, 56, called Westminster City Council when she realised her 90-year-old tortoise Zuma was missing.

Council staff leapt into action, using GPS tracking to find the lorry that had collected Zuma. Luckily, they were able to trace the collection vehicle, which was carrying 10 tonnes of waste, before it tipped its waste into the huge storage bunker which processes thousands of tonnes of waste.

Zuma's owner Sarah donned protective clothing and helped waste management staff in their search for her tortoise. Aided by a thermal imaging camera, they hunted through around 1,000 black bin bags and, after a two-and-a-half hour search, found Zuma unharmed.

Contract manager Lynn Davis, commented: "I'm delighted we were able to find Zuma and return him to Mrs Joiner unharmed, he really has survived against the odds. The team were all keen to help when they heard what had happened and together we were able to ensure that the search was conducted safely and effectively.

"This was certainly a different way to spend a Friday afternoon and I'm just relieved we were successful."

Sarah, who has owned Zuma for four decades, added: "Thank you is never going to be enough. It was amazing teamwork; there was no nonsense about it just enormous goodwill in finding him."

Image courtesy of Westminster City Council