A PAIR of turtles living in a park are making themselves known to visitors after almost a decade.

Two terrapins, native to Florida, have been living in Ball Grove Park in Colne after being dumped by their previous owners.

Blue green algae in the park's lake and millpond has recently led to park staff putting hay into the water, which has helped the creatures climb out of the water

Parks bosses have warned people not to approach the animals but said they don’t pose a threat to wildlife in the park.

Lee Johnson, senior park keeper for Pendle Council, said: “People have grown quite fond of them and they’re not really doing any harm.

“There’s been a couple of local people concerned but most really enjoy having them there.

“We don’t want people going near them though, they can be quite shy and startled quite easily.

“They have a good bite on them as well, which is one of the reasons people end up dumping them.

“It can be a quite steep drop to get down for people, who try and pet them as well, so people should enjoy them from a safe distance.”

Blue green algae is a common problem for parks and hay helps to prevent the problem.

The animals have a life expectancy of around 30 years and are not indigenous to this country.

They eat freshwater fish and live invertebrate food but staff at the park said they don’t disrupt the ecosystem.

Mr Johnson said that there was a rise in the purchase of terrapins in the 1980s and 1990s thanks to the hit show Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

However, this also led to an increase in the number of terrapins being abandoned.

When the show gained popularity again in the late 2000s the same happened, which is when the park keeper thinks the turtles were dumped.

Mr Johnson said: “At the end of the day there is only two of them.

“They must have been here for almost 10 years now but they’re making themselves more noticed this year in the hot weather.

“If there was a lot more we would have done something more about it but it’s nice for the area.

“Our best advice is to not keep the animals as pets as they take a lot of work to care for.”

Terrapins normally live in large tanks, aquariums or secure outdoor ponds with adequate heating and lighting.

The RSPCA also warned that the animals can be quite fragile and should not be petted.