Trapped fox rescued from pit by Wiltshire firefighters

A fox which was in "real danger" while trapped in a pit has been rescued by firefighters.

The animal had walked out into an 82ft (25m) area of rain-filled plastic sheeting, covering a slurry "lagoon" at Warminster farm in Wiltshire.

Because of the steep and slippery sides, he was unable to get back out on his own.

When the farmer was unable to coax the fox to safety on 10 January, he contacted the RSPCA for help.

The fox was unable to get out of the pit on his own

RSPCA animal rescue officer Gemma Gumbleton said: "This poor fox had been trapped in the pooled water on the plastic sheeting for some time and was in real danger.

"He needed to be rescued urgently as the bitter cold and stress could have killed him.

"My usual rescue poles just wouldn't stretch far enough and because of his anxiety the panicked wild animal wouldn't stay still to allow me to reach him."

Ms Gumbleton decided to call Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, which used an inflatable raft to safely get onto the water-filled sheeting.

The fire service used an inflatable raft to get into the pit safely

Ms Gumbleton continued: "After more than three hours, the poor fox was so tired, cold and wet he became virtually immobile.

"One of the fire and rescue team members climbed onto the sheeting and was able to catch and put him into a rescue container. "

The fox "immediately ran off" after being released back into the wild

The fox was then taken to a vet, who used pet-friendly hot water bottles for the night.

Ms Gumbleton added: "The next morning, I was relieved and delighted to discover the fox looking bright-eyed and bushy tailed so it was time for me to return him to the wild.

"I transported him near to - but not too near - the place where he got himself into such a pickle, then let him out of the container and he immediately ran off into the countryside."