Fire crews rescue pregnant cow from River Darwell

The hapless animal had wandered in to the River Darwell at Fontridge Manor Farm, in Etchingham, and was unable to get back out again.

Battle firefighters were first on the scene, just before 9am on Wednesday, followed by the specialist Animal Rescue Unit, based at Crowborough Fire Station.

Because the cow was in calf, the rescue teams were unable to use traditional slings and hoists to get the animal out of the river.

Instead, firefighters were forced to coax and direct the cow out of the river - a process which took around two hours.

The cow eventually climbed out of the river of her own accord, unharmed.

One Battle firefighter said: “Because we cover a large rural area we do get quite a few calls to animal rescue.

“It’s generally livestock and horses, mainly.”