Bull terrier trapped in drainpipe in Leeds rescued after almost 48 hours

• Video report by Matt Price

A dog who became trapped in a drainpipe while on a walk is recovering at home after a rescue mission lasting almost 48 hours.

Martha, a two-year-old English bull terrier from Pudsey, Leeds, was with her owner Paul Millicent when she got stuck at the weekend.

Despite the efforts of firefighters and officials from Yorkshire Water, she remained stranded for 24 hours until a specialist drain company came to her aid.

Workers from Dr Drainage spent the next 18 hours trying to rescue her before, with the help of an excavation firm, finally digging her out.

Josh Langford, who co-ordinated the rescue, said: "I wouldn't call myself a hero. I just hope that if anything like this ever happened to me I'd hope that people would be willing to help."

Mr Millicent said he had taken Martha on a walk when she vanished. He said: "Martha was running around in a little stream and I sort of looked away and turned around.

"She disappeared and just out of the corner of my eye I saw a culvert 18 inches wide and I'm thinking, no surely she's not gone up there."

He said he and his wife returned to the spot later on and stayed there "shouting" for Martha to come out, without success.

They were told their pet might have to be put to sleep if she remained underground for too long.

But Mr Langford and his team were determined to make sure the story had a happy ending.

They used cameras to establish where she was before digging her out.

He said: "I was at my little one's birthday party, which I pulled away from – I'm in the doghouse a little bit for doing that. But I saw the only way of getting the dog out would be to carry out a dig."

Martha is now recovering at home. Mr Millicent said: "I can't thank them enough really."

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