FIREFIGHTERS used muscle-power to haul a sedated horse to safety after it had become stranded in a steep-sided beck.

A special animal rescue unit from Bishop Auckland was called to the paddock near Headlam Hall, between Gainford and Ingleton, at 6pm tonight (Tuesday, March 10) together with a further crew from Bishop Auckland and one from Barnard Castle.

The horse, called Sam, was fatigued after possibly being stuck in the beck for up to three hours. A vet was called to sedate him before firefighters used carefully placed straps to haul him onto a plastic 'slider' sheet on the bank.

"It was just sheer manpower to pull the horse out," said a spokesman for County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service. "And once he'd had time to recover, he was okay."

The crews were at the scene for about an hour-and-a-half.