Seagull left dangling upside down in Sunderland after being caught on telegraph line by fishing trap

A seagull had to be rescued after getting caught on a telegraph pole wire in Sunderland.

The bird escaped serious injury but found itself trapped hanging upside down.

One of the bird's feet was pierced by a fishing hook that then got caught on an overhead line while it was flying.

The gull was left dangling 30 feet off the ground over a carpark in Sunderland, before someone got in touch with the RSPCA.

Firefighters from Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service were brought in to help with the rescue.

Crews used a throw line to pull the bird along the telegraph wire to the nearest pole.

A firefighter was poised on a ladder to bring the bird to safety.

• Video from RSPCA

He was left with only a small wound on his foot that was treated by a vet at the scene on 30 April.

Inspector Kirsty Keogh-Laws Kirsty said: “It was one of the most bizarre rescues I’ve seen.

“When I first saw him he was flapping around and obviously in pain. But fire officers from Sunderland Red Watch came out and they managed to pull the bird across to a pole.

“The vet wasn’t too concerned about the gull’s foot. There was nothing broken and he had movement in both legs.

"After he was given pain relief he was taken to the local rescue and he will be released back into the wild after a period of recuperation.”

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