Deer rescued after wandering into Mansfield police station

The deer was safely sedated after she was seen roaming around the grounds of Mansfield Police Station

Police were left perplexed after spotting a deer wandering around inside a fenced police compound.

The RSPCA was called to help return the roe to the wild after it was spotted on CCTV in the grounds of Mansfield Police Station on Sunday afternoon.

Animal chief inspector Simon Parker said officers had "no idea" how the animal got into the compound, which is surrounded by a 6ft (1.8 metre) fence.

It was sedated and returned to nearby woods.

Mr Parker said it was the third weekend in a row he had been called to an emergency deer rescue and believed they were happening more frequently because "wildlife is getting used to quieter towns and less traffic on the roads" as a result of the coronavirus lockdown.

The RSPCA said emergency deer rescue calls had increased as "wildlife is getting used to quieter towns"

He said: "I suspect she came from nearby woods, ventured inside the police station and then couldn't find her way out."

The deer was sedated with a dart, tagged, then released into the wild.