A SHEEP got stuck in the mud on a river bank as temperatures plummeted during the so-called 'Beast from the East'.

Walkers spotted the ewe by the River Tees near Central Street in Yarm, who slipped down the steep drop on one side of the river.

She managed to get across the water to the other side but was struggling to climb up the bank from the water.

The RSPCA water rescue team, headed by Chief Inspector Mark Gent, were called to rescue the sheep and reunite her with the rest of the flock.

He said: “We have the equipment, the experience and the training to carry out these rescues. Sheep are incredibly heavy, so she needed a specialist team with appropriate ropes and pulleys to get her out safely.”