YOUNG MARSUPIAL SNATCHED FROM ANGLESEY PROPERTY

‘ORNAMENTAL FOUNTAIN’ERUPTS ON ROAD DURING STORM JOCELYN Police hunt for stolen wallaby

MOTORISTS in Gwynedd were left bemused by a “fountain” of water sprouting from a road.

Eight separate spouts shot water 2ft-3ft into the air from small holes in the road surface.

The feature appeared on the B4409 near Bethesda as heavy rain fell in Eryri (Snowdonia) during Storm Jocelyn.

It was likened to an “ornamental fountain” and one social media user

POLICE are searching for a baby wallaby after it was reported stolen from a property on Anglesey.

Its owner is said to be “understandably concerned” for the wellbeing of the young marsupial, which goes by the name of Walter.

North Wales Police (NWP) said it received a report that Walter was stolen from an address in the Holyhead Road area of Cemaes Bay, Anglesey.

It’s believed the youngster was taken between 4am-6am on Thursday, January 18.

Sgt Beth Lloyd, of the NWP Anglesey team, said: “Walter’s owner is understandably concerned for the wellbeing of the young wallaby and wishes to see him returned home.

“We are appealing for anyone who may have seen Walter the wallaby, may have footage of the area around the time he was taken or may have witnessed any suspicious christened it the new “Fountains of the Ogwen Valley”.

The cause of the unexpected water feature is unknown. Dwr Cymru Welsh Water said the source of the leak is “not one of our assets”. behaviour to contact police immediately.” Wallabies are marsupials indigenous to Australia and New Guinea that first arrived in Britain as zoo exhibits.

Some are now kept as pets, typically being bought as youngsters for around £300£600.

Locals suspect river flooding from the adjacent Afon Ogwen may be to blame.

By late afternoon on Tuesday, water levels on Afon Ogwen upriver of Bethesda had risen 63cm.

A small brook runs past the They are much smaller than kangaroos, usually growing only to 3ft.

However, their speed and strong hind legs means they are excellent escapologists and in recent years wild wallabies have begun to establish in the British countryside.

A research article in 2020 detailed 95 recorded sightings of wallabies in England affected section and a little further north is the Fron Ogwen sewer storm overflow.

Motorists have been advised to take extra care on the road in case it subsides into a sinkhole near the water leak.

between 2008 and 2018.

A cluster was reported in the Chiltern Hills region and some sightings included females with young in their pouches.

NWP Anglesey is asking for the public’s help in finding Walter.

Anyone with information can contact the police via its website or by calling 101, quoting ref. 24000085021.