How many firefighters does it take to rescue a swan from ice?

Firefighters helped rescue a swan after it spent four days stuck on an icy pond in Edinburgh.

Local residents said the nine-month-old cygnet got into difficulty at Easter Craiglockhart Hill during the cold snap last week.

It was initially monitored by officers with the Scottish SPCA who were unable to reach it but threw bird seed on to the ice.

Eventually, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) sent 21 firefighters, two fire engines and water rescue resources to the scene.

A firefighter with experience of handling swans was among those deployed to take part in the operation.

Once captured, the bird was handed over to the Scottish SPCA who took it to the charity's Alloa rescue centre.

A spokesperson for the SFRS said: "Our response by trained and equipped firefighters can prevent members of the public putting themselves in danger by attempting to do their own rescue."

Catriona Dawson, an animal rescue officer with the Scottish SPCA, was involved in monitoring the swan.

She said she checked it twice a day before the fire service were called to the scene by a concerned local resident shortly before midday on Thursday.

It was kicking its legs and flapping its wings but it could not stand up to walk across the ice.

She said crews laid an inflatable across the frozen boating pond to allow a firefighter to crawl on their stomach to the swan, which was about 48ft (15m) from the shore.

Once the bird got to dry land, Dawson checked it over and found it was struggling to walk properly as it had not used its legs for four days.

Jim Heath, Friends of Craiglockhart Hill chairman, told BBC Scotland News residents in the area were "very upset" by the plight of the swan.

"There was a lot of concerned people worried about that cygnet," he said.

"It was flapping with its wings and its feet were trying to paddle but it could not get off the ice, it was horrible.

"It was too treacherous to get out to it and people were disturbed by it so the Scottish SPCA were called several times."

A SFRS spokesperson: "As a humanitarian organisation our highly skilled crews answer a wide range of calls to help animals in distress across the country."

They also urged people to avoid going near frozen water, and not to attempt to rescue anyone who gets into difficulty on ice.

"Dial 999 and ask for the fire and rescue service, then wait for help to arrive," the spokesperson added.

The pond was created in the 1870s as a venue for skating, curling and boating for holidaymakers from Edinburgh. It is now a wildlife reserve.