Leicestershire firefighters rescue dog trapped in underground badger den for almost three days

A dog which was trapped underground in a badger's den near Coalville for almost three days has been rescued by Leicestershire firefighters.

The animal reportedly crawled into the badger sett in Diamond Jubilee Wood in Normanton Le Heath in Leicestershire.

The pet's owners are said to have called the emergency services around midday on Tuesday (1 March) to inform the fire service that the dog had been trapped in the mud for sixty hours.

Helped by the RSPCA, the fire crews had to listen for the dog's barking so that they knew where to dig.

They say they also used specialist listening and locating devices and reinforcements were called in to help with the digging.

After almost 5 hours the service confirmed that the dog had been successfully rescued and was reunited with its owners.

Photos taken by Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service during the rescue mission show the dog lying sprawled on its back after it was finally freed by the team.

The crews reported that no other animals were found at the scene, suggesting the badger den is inactive.