A Malmesbury woman discovered an injured bat in her garden, which then proceeded to give birth.

Elise Josephine discovered the creature on the fountain of her fishpond yesterday afternoon.

"I got home from the family farm and went in the garden and the new fishpond fountain wasn't working," she said. "I went to check and there was the bat sitting on it.

The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald:

"I lifted it out of the pond just because I wasn't sure if it had fallen in or what, and let it dry off on the rocks with some fruit and water.

"I sat with it for a while because it was out during the day which I didn't think was normal but then about half an hour later I saw movement that was odd and that's when the birth came on."

Sadly, the baby did not make it. The mother, believed to be a pipistrelle and suffering from a broken wing, is now in the hands of a rescue and rehab centre.