A terrified young Oakworth girl was attacked by an owl as she walked on Ilkley Moor.

Only the frantic efforts of her father prevented the huge bird grabbing the six-year-old girl.

Now Bradford Council's countryside service has stepped up efforts to capture the European eagle owl, which it is believed has escaped from captivity.

The creature has been spotted several times on the moors above Ilkley. The species of owl is the largest in the world, and is rarely seen in Britain.

Keighley-based firefighter Stuart Minnikin, with wife Paula and daughter Holly, had gone to the moor on Sunday - armed with binoculars and a telescope - to look for the creature.

Stuart, 34, told us: "I am interested in wildlife, and so when a friend mentioned the owl we decided to take a look.

"We parked near the Cow and Calf and walked up the moor. After about 10 minutes the owl flew past, and headed to some rocks. We got the telescope set up, and had a reasonable sight of the bird.

"We hung around for about half an hour hoping for a better view, but it was getting cold and dark so we decided to set off back to the car.

"As we walked we kept looking behind us, and the owl seemed to be watching.

"We were about to go over a brow of the hill when I heard a noise behind us, and the bird was there just above my daughter's head.

"I grabbed hold of Holly and dragged her away from the owl. It then flew round to try to get her again.

"I waved my arms and shouted to try to scare it off. It sat about 20 yards away for a while before flying off.

"The bird was only about two feet above my daughter's head. I'm sure that if I hadn't been there, it would have got her. Fortunately we were holding hands, so I was able to pull her away quite quickly.

"It all happened so fast. Paula was walking a good bit in front of us so missed it all!"

Although Holly - a pupil at Oakworth Primary School - was not physically injured, she was deeply distressed by her experience.

l The European Eagle Owl (pictured) is the largest species of owl in the world.

Living over much of mainland Europe, although more widespread in the Scandinavian area, it is rarely seen in Britain. The birds have a wingspan of 1.6-1.8 metres - which means they are capable of taking prey the size of a fox or small deer.