A pair of calves trapped in a slurry pit had to be rescued by firefighters in Lower Woodrow Road, Melksham, on Monday morning.

A town crew was joined by a specialist unit from Stratton, Swindon, at 10am, after the calves jumped a fence and were caught in slurry.

Station manager Ade Hurren said: “It was about five foot deep and pretty horrible. The animal rescue team have got all the right kit. They wear drysuits and have an inflatable walkway, and have the specialist training.

“One of the calves got out. They were quite young and fit. We managed to get a sling around the other and pulled it out.

“We attend quite a lot of things like this. We are a rural area and the number of fires we get called to is decreasing, so these jobs are becoming a larger percentage of our calls.”