Britain’s luckiest goldfish found alive in puddle 24 hours after being washed away in storm floods
A PET goldfish washed away in storm floods has amazingly been discovered alive in a muddy puddle.
It was found in the middle of a playing field after surviving for 24 hours outside a garden pond following the downpour.
Resident Helen Partridge spotted the fish while helping to tidy up after the deluge battered the village of Newton Poppleford, Devon.
Helen said: “Members of the community have been rallying together to help all those who have been affected.
“A group of us were clearing debris from the tennis courts and playing field when we spotted the huge goldfish alive in a muddy puddle.”
The fish has been housed temporarily in a resident’s pond after its owners were contacted.
It is due to be reunited with them this week.
Tuesday’s flash flooding was so bad some residents had to leave their homes.
Hillary Pinfold said: “We couldn’t get our heads round the volume of water and how powerful it was.
“It had the power to move a car, it moved my husband’s car in the garage, it turned over a fridge-freezer, it knocked down two walls in the garage that have just collapsed.”
She added: “We’ve got to have the floors replaced because we don’t know if water’s gone under the house.
“We’ve lost a hell of a lot of stuff as well.”