THIS beautiful barn owl was found in a roadside puddle after Storm Eleanor.

Tree surgeons who had been called out to deal with a fallen tree at Sopers Lane found the creature on the A338 on Wednesday.

Tree surgeon Chris Pottinger who works for Treetech found the owl at 6.30am on Wednesday morning.

He said: "We found it on the A338, it was pitch black and I just spotted it out the corner of my eye."

"We went back and picked it up. We work closely with Countryside Services and passed it onto them."

He added: "The owl obviously got very wet and was unable to fly". 

A spokesperson for Christchurch and East Dorset Councils said: “The poor owl was left very confused and sodden after Storm Eleanor, but once back to full health it will be released.”