A COW which had got itself stuck in a culvert proved a difficult and lengthy rescue for firefighters.

The animal had slipped into the four feet high culvert in Hebden Bridge Road, Oxenhope, near Keighley, and was standing in two feet of water.

Firefighters from Cleckheaton were sent to the incident along with a technical rescue unit at around 6.45pm on Friday.

Ronnie Goldwater, technical support officer with West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service who liaised with the farmer said: "It was a very tricky rescue. Crews had to work physically hard using strops and building a ramp to get the cow out. It was released without injury back into its field.

"There was one part where the culvert went into a four feet deep sump and the cow had to swim through it to get to the ramp we had constructed.

"It was very a physically challenging rescue more than technically challenging one but it was satisfying to complete the task.

"It was pitch dark in the middle of nowhere and we were there for approximately four hours."