<b>A group of albino turtles has been discovered living quite happily in the sewer system under Ipswich, the Suffolk Gazette can reveal.</b>

Zoologists believe the 'bale' - the official term for a colony of turtles - had started when several of them were flushed down a toilet many years ago, probably as a result of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle craze in the early 1990s.

Many were bought as pets when the children's television series was popular before parents realised they became too big and difficult to keep.

Rumours at the time suggested some were flushed down toilets - and the discovery in Ipswich suggests it is true.

But the turtles had clearly thrived in the network of sewers, where there is plenty of water and food sources, and they managed to breed successfully.

As they never went above ground, they even adapted to the lack of natural light by turning a lighter shade and are now albino white.

<center><div class="getty embed image" style="background-color:#fff;display:inline-block;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#a7a7a7;font-size:11px;width:100%;max-width:490px;"><div style="padding:0;margin:0;text-align:left;"><a href="http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/125050647" target="_blank" style="color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;">Embed from Getty Images</a></div><div style="overflow:hidden;position:relative;height:0;padding:71.428571% 0 0 0;width:100%;"><iframe src="//embed.gettyimages.com/embed/125050647?et=KZ5AB4DjR4BRzCqwGA0IKA&viewMoreLink=off&sig=M-Z2RMGucQK24RYIRuyDjfNG_UUnPm0qd3jJ_SqIRok=" width="490" height="350" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="display:inline-block;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;margin:0;"></iframe></div><p style="margin:0;"></p></div></center><center><i>Going underground: the albino turtle called Donatello found under Ipswich</center></i><br><br>

So far seven of the turtles, believed to be box turtles, have been found by Anglian Water maintenance teams and are now being looked after at Colchester Zoo in Essex.

Zoologists now want a full underground survey to determine numbers in the bale.

Helena Simpson, from the UEA, said: "This is quite a remarkable discovery. The first one was found somewhere under the Whitton Estate. Workers first assumed it was a tortoise, but upon closer inspection they realised it was a turtle. They called it Donatello after one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles characters.

"Six others have since been found under nearby areas of Castle Hill and Whitehouse.

"It is very likely this bale started as a pair of unwanted pets, probably bought at the height of the Teenage Ninja Mutant Turtles craze. Presumably the owners got bored with them, or they outgrew their living area."

An insider at Anglian Water said: "We do find some strange things in the sewer system, but we've never had albino turtles before."

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