Horse rescued

Firefighters rescued a horse which was stuck in a ditch.

Crews were called to Marsh Road, Burnham today at 1.35pm after a rider tried to cross a dyke but his horse got trapped.

Station Manager Syd Barrett said: "Three of the horse's legs were trapped and the silt and water was up to its stomach.

"When the Animal Rescue Unit arrived, two firefighters got into the water and set up the lifting equipment.

"Working with a vet, who sedated the horse, crews lifted it out of the ditch. Despite being in the water for two hours, it was not too distressed and was able to walk away.

"I'd like to praise our firefighters, including supporting crews who worked well with the Animal Rescue Unit. They all displayed excellent skills and were professional throughout."

Could you be an on-call firefighter?

Some of the firefighters who attended this incident are on-call firefighters, who live or work within 5 minutes of an on-call fire station and attend incidents.

If you live or work within 5 minutes of an on-call fire station, you could be an on-call firefighter too.

Find out more about the role at essex-fire.gov.uk/on-call