Firefighters from Brecon Fire Station were called into action this week to rescue a sheep that had been stranded on an island in the middle of a pond for a week.

At 9:46am on Monday (August 25), the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service crew responded to reports of the animal near Capel Isaf in Brecon.

The pond was surrounded by deep, boggy ground, which posed significant safety risks, so no crew members entered the water.

Instead, the team devised a plan to coax the sheep onto an inflatable wading sled using some feed. The first attempt fell short, with the sled not reaching the animal, but adjustments to the equipment allowed the crew to get the sled closer. The sheep eventually stepped onto the sled, which was then gently pulled back to solid ground.

The rescue involved the use of an inflatable wading sled, lines, chimney rods and a telescopic reach pole, demonstrating the crew’s quick thinking and improvisation.

Station Manager Simon Prince said:"On the first attempt, we didn’t get quite close enough and although the sheep showed interest it quickly went out of its depth to step onto the sled.

“We readjusted our equipment and managed to push the sled further towards the sheep and eventually it got onto the sled, and we gently dragged the sled with the sheep back to hard standing and back into the field.

This highlighted great communication and teamwork and improvisation of equipment minimising any risk to the crew."