Drowning horse rescued from Grand Union Canal near Daventry

The horse was reported to be cold and tired when it finally left the canal, but was otherwise unharmed

A fire service has praised the "marvellous effort" by a crew and police officers who rescued a drowning horse from a canal.

Two horses were on the loose and one of them ended up in a lock at Long Buckby Wharf near Daventry, in Northamptonshire, in the early hours of Monday.

A horse inflation system was used to keep the Welsh pony's head above water.

The drama on the Grand Union Canal lasted for about three hours.

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service said that, when it arrived, Northamptonshire Police officers were already "making efforts" to keep the pony's head above water.

Station commander and animal rescue officer for the fire service Tony Evans said: "The horse was struggling to stay afloat in the canal so we had to quickly formulate a rescue plan.

"We inflated a hose reel and looped it around the horses neck to keep its head above water and were then able to guide the horse to a section of the canal bank where we could encourage and assist the horse to safety."

The operation to rescue the horse took three hours

The rescued horse and his companion were able to walk to a stable after their ordeal

The animal was checked by a vet and was then joined by the other loose horse to be taken to a stable where they could both be collected by their owner.

Tony Evans said: "I would like to thank crews, Northamptonshire Police and the local vet who attended and helped us to bring this incident to a positive conclusion."