Rescuers battle in winter wonderland

While children made the most of the white stuff, drivers battled icy roads, sporting events were halted and animals had to be rescued.

Among those in difficulty was Barley, a 29-year-old Russian Draft horse. A farmer's tractor and 14 firefighters had to help winch the animal to safety after he sat down in his icy paddock at Foxhills Farm, Beacon Road, Great Barr, at 4pm on Saturday but could not get back up again. Failing in their bid to lever the horse using planks of wood and sheer brute force, firefighters called on the services of neighbouring farmer Tony Johnson and his tractor.

Special hoists, usually used to lift bales of hay, were attached to the tractor to create a sling to lift Barley into a standing position.

Barley, who weighs a ton, was returned to all fours at the third attempt.

Relieved owner Carol Firth, of Cramlington Road, in Great Barr, said: "He likes to have a sit down but he had been down for too long. He is getting a bit old now so his joints get a bit stiff."

In Staffordshire, firefighters carried out a daring rescue on a frozen canal to come to the aid of a stricken swan.

A specialist rescue boat from Tamworth was sent to the Wyrley and Essington Canal, in Great Wyrley, yesterday afternoon to try and reach the young swan, which was trapped on a canal reed bank. Firefighters used specialist inflatable walkways to reach the stricken swan and free it.

In another rescue, a dog had to be pulled from a frozen lake in Small Heath Park, Birmingham. The dog had plunged through the ice during a morning stroll with its owner. A firefighter entered the freezing water to help the dog to safety.

Emergency crews were also called to several crashes on Midland roads at the weekend. In Northfield, Birmingham, a car crashed into a house at around 8.35pm last night after it skidded on ice. Fire crews were called to Woodland Road after the car crashed into two bay windows but no-one was hurt.

Today a van lost control on the Black Country New Road, in Moxley, ploughing over a central reservation into traffic lights.

The van driver was not injured but the loss of traffic lights on the Moxley Road island at the junction of the Black Country New Road led to another collision between three cars an hour later at 7.30am. Again there were no major injuries. Sporting events also fell foul of the bad weather, as frozen pitches caused Sunday morning games to be called off.

In Staffordshire, almost every football and rugby match was called off amid safety fears.

Stafford Rugby Club spokesman Joe Taylor said: "The pitches were unplayable."

The Telford 10k Run was also cancelled. A statement on Telford Running Club's website said: "Unfortunately, there is far too much ice on the route." The two lap race is now set to take place on January 10.