A FARMER rescued a cow from a slurry pit before firefighters arrived to free a second that had snuck to the back.

Crews from Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service were called to a farm in Silton after two cows found themselves in a sticky situation.

Firefighters from Poole and Gillingham arrived at 10am on February 25 to find that the farmer had managed to pull one cow to the edge of the slurry pit.

However, while the farmer was rescuing one cow, another had made its way to back of the pit.

Crews used an inflatable mud path and slide boards to get to the cow before sliding it to the edge and up onto the bank.

After the rescue, the cow was left too tired to stand so farm machinery was used with fire service lifting equipment to lift the cow over a fence and into a barn.

Both cows were left with the farmer and have made a full recovery.

A spokesperson for Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “We were called to a farm at Silton at 10am yesterday (25 February) to help two heifers in a slurry pit.

“A crew from Gillingham and a technical rescue team from Poole attended, one heifer was brought to safety by the farmer using a telehandler, the other was brought to safety by firefighters using animal rescue equipment and an inflatable raft for access.

“Our stop was at 1.09pm and both cows were left in the care of the farmer.”