An RSPCA inspector found himself up to his neck in mud rescuing a lamb which was trapped down a deep hole in the Peak District near Glossop.

Inspector Ryan King was well prepared for the wild moorland terrain where the stricken sheep’s distressed bleating had been heard by a walking couple.

He donned his overalls and trekked several miles to find the location, near to the B-29 crash site off Snake Pass. Then he lowered himself down six feet to reach the young sheep, who was firmly stuck in mud at the bottom of the hole, and carried her onto terra firma.

Afterwards he gave her a good clean down in a nearby stream and then made sure she was in company when releasing her close to a grazing flock.

The inspector also needed a clean-up and a change of clothes after his muddy escapade on May 14.

“I needed to take my backpack for this job. It was quite a muddy rescue and fortunately I had a spare shirt in my van,” said Ryan.

“The hole was quite small and I could just about stand up in it. The lamb was matted in soil, but she was okay. After cleaning her up in running water I released her near some other sheep.”

While the RSPCA has dealt with several incidents in recent months in which sheep have been rescued from precarious positions after having been panicked by out-of-control dogs, the inspector suspects this lamb’s fall was accidental.

“Usually with lambs they get trapped in hedges or fences, so it was a bit strange to find one down a hole. Luckily for her she was heard crying by the walking couple,” added Ryan.

“When I left the scene I made sure the hole was obscured with some branches and twigs I placed around it to act as a barrier.

“It did take some time to get to the location - which could have been spent responding to another call as the farmer could have dealt with this situation. 

“What we advise as a helpful solution is for farmers to put emergency contact numbers on their footpath gates so that if a walker spots a sheep or livestock in a difficult situation, they can contact the farmer directly who will be there locally to solve the problem quickly.”

The RSPCA advises members of the public who come across sheep trapped in circumstances such as this, not to attempt a rescue themselves as no matter how well-meaning your actions might be, you could put yourself in danger.

Read more from the Glossop Chronicle

Click here for more of the latest news

Click here to read the latest edition of the paper online

Click here to find out where you can pick up a copy of the paper