Dog and ducklings rescued by firefighters

Firefighters in Essex have been busy testing their animal rescue skills when they were called out to help several ducklings and a dog in separate incidents.

The first involved a family of ducklings that had fallen down a storm drain in Saffron Walden on Wednesday afternoon, all of which were safely fished out.

Later that evening a terrier named Trudy got wedged under a heavy lorry container in Wimbish, after apparently chasing a rabbit.

Crews from Essex Fire and Rescue Service had to use air bags and wedges to lift the static trailer before coaxing the unharmed pet out.

Both rescues were carried out by crews from Saffron Walden fire station within hours of each other.

When firefighters arrived at the storm drain in the town, residents were already trying to fish out the ducklings in distress, however, it took crews and local wildlife rescuers to save the rest.

They were taken in by a nearby school to look after, the fire service said.

The next wildlife rescue was more complicated as terrier Trudy was truly wedged underneath a large, heavy static container.

"We used air lifting bags and chocks to lift and support the large and heavy container, whilst we coaxed out the pet from underneath [it]," crews wrote on Facebook.

Essex Fire and Rescue Service said the dog's owner used the what3words app to alert them to the position of the dog, and they encouraged others to download it.

Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story for us, email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk