Sheep stuck under river bridge is rescued by fire crews

The nervous young ram was not keen to be rescued as the river level rose

A sheep had a "baad" day when it had to be rescued after getting stuck on a ledge under a bridge.

It was spotted on the rafters 20ft (6m) above the River Great Ouse in Stowbridge, Norfolk, as the tide was beginning to rise.

The fire service used special water rescue equipment to reach the "nervous" sheep and coax it into the river where it swam safely back to the bank.

The RSPCA said "curiosity" probably got the ram into its spot of bother.

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RSPCA inspector Jon Knight said he had no idea how it had managed to get itself into that position.

"This poor sheep needed our help," he added.

"It's most likely he got a little bit too curious, and found himself in a situation he couldn't get himself out of."

The sheep was stuck under the bridge above the river

Luckily, a member of the public was passing The Causeway on Sunday and spotted the sheep.

Crews from Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service were called in and used a boat and raft to get to the underside of the bridge.

However, the young male was "quite nervous" and initially shuffled further out of reach before eventually being persuaded into the water, where it swam back to shore.

"The farmer returned him to the flock and I'm pleased to say he was none the worse for wear after his ordeal," Mr Knight added.

Water rescue crews had to be brought in as the tide was rising