A RETIRED Royal Navy meteorologist was amazed to find a rare natural ice phenomenon in his garden.

Desmond Malone and wife Sue live in Sussex Road, Petersfield, and were surprised to find a 12 inch ice spike in their bird bath.

Desmond said: “It takes a unique set of circumstances to create an ice spike, and in 45 years I have never seen one.”

Just three days before ice spike night, when the temperature sunk to minus seven, Desmond cleaned out the stone bird bath and filled it with fresh water.

He said: “For an ice spike to form, the water has to be virtually pure, and it was just by chance I cleaned out the bird bath before it froze.”

For a spike to rise, water has to freeze right across its surface. But water expands by nine per cent as it freezes, putting the water below the surface under pressure.

That causes a tiny crack, and water is forced out.

As it escapes the crack it freezes, but at its core is a narrow unfrozen ‘capillary’ tube, up which more water travels. This goes on until enough water has passed up the tube to relieve the pressure.

Mr Malone said: “This happens very, very rarely.”

Wife Sue said: “It’s beautiful, and kind of funky.”