A missing tortoise which escaped from its garden one month ago has been found THREE miles away - after going on the run at 0.0041mph.

Matilda, a 10-year-old Hermann's tortoise, managed to scale a courgette plant to pull off her daring escape and slow getaway in early July.

She then managed to negotiate several neighbours' fences, dodge cars while crossing a road as well as a stream in the Leicestershire countryside.

Owner Sallyanne Brooksbank, 55, said she'd given up hope of seeing Matilda again after a month without any sightings.

But the tiny runaway reptile, which is barely the size of a saucer, was discovered in a field by walkers last week and handed into a local shop.

Mum-of-three Sallyanne then spotted her missing tortoise on Facebook when the shopkeeper posted about the discovery online.

Delighted Sallyanne has now been reunited with her beloved pet and says it was a "miracle" she survived after travelling the impressive distance. "

Sallyanne, of Wymondham, Leics., said: "She must have had quite an adventure."

"We were distraught when she went missing. We searched the garden over and over, but I thought we'd never see her again."

"Now she's back we've all got a massive smile on our faces."

Sallyanne believes her tortoise headed in the direction of Sewstern, somehow surviving busy roads and deep water.

She added: "We wish she could speak because we'd love to know how far she got."

"She's not very agile, but I think she may have climbed up a courgette stalk to get out of the garden."

"She headed off in the direction of Sewstern."

"We've been trying to work out her route, but it has to have been through several fences, across fields, a ditch, a road, a stream and who knows what else."

The family don't know who found their cherished pet, but they hope to eventually track them down and thank them.

Sallyanne added:

"She could have been attacked or squashed by a car - but she seems fine."

"If anything, she might have grown a bit."

"There are no marks on her shell, and she gobbled up the food we gave her."

"She seems happy to be home, and I know we are happy to have her back."