Owl covered in soot rescued from chimney

An owl covered in soot and stuck in a chimney has been freed.

Nick Reynolds, the director at the Paradise Park wildlife sanctuary in Hayle, Cornwall, said a male tawny owl was lodged in the flue of a chimney at a property near Sennen.

Mr Reynolds and a crew from Penzance Fire Station attended the home on Wednesday.

He said they freed the owl, which flew away uninjured.

Mr Reynolds said the animal was covered in soot and had to be cleaned before he was released.

"For me, it was a job I just felt I had to go to," he said.

"Getting the fire brigade to come out and help me was just superb, they did a great job."

In a Facebook post about the rescue, Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service said: "We'd encourage householders to keep chimneys swept, after all it may not just be Santa that you find stuck in your chimney."