A scuba diving grandmother has saved a small shark after it got stuck in fishing lines off the South Hams coast.

Holidaymaker Michelle Walton, 53, was diving off the coast of Hallsands with her partner, Peter Love, 52, when they spotted the stranded catshark.

It was stuck on a double hook and thrashing violently so the couple dived down to the seabed to free it.

Michelle, a marketing manager from Kidderminster, Worcestershire, used a knife to saw through the fishing lines to help it wriggle free.

Michelle, who has two children and three grandchildren, said: “We were in the water less than ten metres down, close to the shore when me and Pete noticed a fishing line and I indicated to Pete to avoid it.

“We followed the line and it disappeared into some seaweed and when we reached the end we saw a catshark caught on a double hook.

“It was thrashing around so I got out a diving knife and started cutting the line. It took a long time because it was a tough line.

“If we hadn’t found the shark it would have died.

“When it finally got free it didn’t swim off straight away and seemed to hang around and it looked at the camera - I think it was saying thank you.

“When I go diving I like to see where the dive takes me - I don’t plan it out and I never know what I’m going to get.”

Catsharks are the most common type of shark in UK waters.

They feed on invertebrates and smaller fish and are not harmful to humans.

Check out a video of the rescue below...