Air sea rescue to save a seagull

Six firemen took two hours to rescue a seagull dangling from a tree.

The bird was tangled in a fishing line hanging over a river.



The crew first tried unhooking the bird with a long pole. When that didn’t work they got in a raft to try a river rescue.

Finally one firefighter cut the gull free but it dropped into the water. A crowd of onlookers gasped as the exhausted bird floated away.

It was then plucked to safety at the River Welland in Stamford, Lincs, and taken to a sanctuary.

Pip Warters, 34, who caught the rescue on camera, said: “The engine tore past me with sirens screeching. I thought a huge blaze must have broken out. I couldn’t believe it when I saw it was a bird.

“It was like a scene from a Carry On film.” A fire brigade spokeswoman said: “We have a policy of rescuing animals quickly.”