Fire crews come to the rescue of stuck horse

Firefighters battled for two hours to rescue a horse which had fallen into a canal culvert in the Black Country.

The three-year-old distressed animal was stuck in the mud in the culvert in part of the Stourbridge canal near Fens Pool nature reserve, Pensnett. Its head was just above water when it was spotted by a dog walker at around 8.30am yesterday.

Click on the image on the right to see more pictures

Firefighters, who captured the rescue on their own camera, donned specialist suits to lower themselves into the water and silt alongside the animal.

They wrapped the fire engine's main delivery water hose underneath the pony to slowly ease it onto the bank.

They used salvage sheets to lever the pony up the bank so it could be checked over by a member of Equine Emergency Services. Watch commander David Foley, of Brierley Hill fire station, said the animal was distressed and exhausted.

Around 12 firefighters worked on the long rescue and watch commander Foley said it was a real team effort.

"It was rewarding to work on this rescue," he said. "It was a bit out of the ordinary but this was our third rescue of this type in two years and we were glad it was successful. At this stage the owner hasn't been found."

It was taken a rescue centre to be assessed, cleaned up and cared for over the next fortnight.