Storm Eunice: Owl rescued from fallen tree

The tawny owl has recovered form its ordeal and has been released back into the wild

A tawny owl trapped inside a tree blown over in Storm Eunice was spotted moments before workers took chainsaws to the downed conifer.

Arborist Phil Smith was among a team sent to clear debris left by the high winds in Abbey Road, Grimsby.

He said the stricken bird was motionless and appeared to have a broken wing when it was discovered.

Mr Smith took the owl home with him, and after a quick recovery it was released back into the wild.

He said he had feared the worst when he first saw the owl lying still with its eyes closed

"It was clearly shocked and looked pretty distressed," he said.

"We took it out and wrapped it in a towel, when we noticed it appeared to have injured its wing."

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Mr Smith left the bird in the care of his wife and went back to work. He returned later to find it had recovered and was flying around the family's living room.

"I was so pleased to see it, and to be honest was almost in tears - it seemed perfectly fine," he said.

After a health check by the Cleethorpes Wildlife Trust the owl was taken back to the area where it was found and released.

North East Lincolnshire Council said its teams worked through the night to deal with almost 20 call outs involving fallen trees and large branches blocking roads and parks.

The area was hit by 80mph (128kph) winds on Friday.