Firefighters provide lucky rescue for a heron with a broken wing in Wigan

Large white heron with an injured wing
One lucky heron rescued and taken to safety by firefighters Credit: GMFRS

Fire crews have used specialist equipment to rescue a small heron with a broken wing from a canal.

A member of the public spotted the injured egret on an inaccessible canal bank, of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal in Wigan.

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue crews got involved fearing people will try to enter the canal to rescue the bird themselves.

The heron was in a difficult to reach section of the Leeds - Liverpool Canal Credit: GMFRS

Crews from Wigan, alongside specialist water rescue teams from Eccles and Heywood, helped an RSPCA officer rescue of the injured bird.

A local timber yard gave then access to the canal bank and the crews used specialist equipment to bring the egret to safety.

The egret will now be cared for at a specialist sanctuary and will be released back into the wild once its wing has healed.