FIREFIGHTERS were called out this morning to release a sheep which had become stuck in a fence.

A spokesman for the County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service said a member of the public walking a dog noticed the stricken animal in Castleside, near Consett, shortly after 10am this morning.

She said: “The sheep had become trapped in what was thought to be bramble bushes.

“A crew from Consett attended the scene and established the sheep had been caught in fencing wire.

“They used small cutting gear to release the sheep, which ran off back to its fold.”