ONE lady was left surprised after going for a paddle in the river near Ross-on-Wye.

Kathy Heath came across what looked like a red-eared terrapin basking on rocks in the sunshine on the banks of the River Wye.

The terrapins are not native to the UK, and ones in the wild are likely to be former pets that have been deliberately released into the wild.

It is not known if they are able to breed in the UK because of the cooler temperatures than their native habitat in the south of the United States and north Mexico.