Fire crew rescues fox stuck between patio and house

A fire crew has carried out a "challenging and delicate" operation to rescue a fox that was trapped between two outside walls.

The animal was found wedged into an extremely tight gap at a property in Hatfield.

Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service said a team from Hatfield Fire Station were called out along with a member of the RSPCA.

Ollie Dent, who was in charge of the incident on 29 September, said that after a lot of "wiggling and jiggery-pokery, we got the outcome we desired".

Dent said it was a "very, very difficult rescue mission" that was "out of the norm" even for his team - which is the fire service's main animal rescue wing in Hertfordshire.

"It took us a while to be able to see the little fella. Someone's dog had sniffed out a fox – we could see its face when we shone a torch down.

"It was a little bit scared, but seemed quite comfortable.

"We don't want to start ripping up people's back gardens or destroying property, so we had to try and encourage the fox to go backwards, which was very difficult.

"The RSPCA managed to get a handler around its neck to stop it going forward, otherwise it would have become even more stuck."

The fire service said the RSPCA provided "invaluable expertise", and that the fox's breathing and condition were "closely monitored" throughout the rescue.

"Our crews worked incredibly hard to free the fox while taking every precaution to ensure it wasn't harmed," the fire service added.

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