A little foal had to be rescued from a river after it found a gap in a fence and fell in.

Fire crews rushed to the scene alongside a specialist search and rescue unit which was able to launch a boat, at West Caister gaining access off the Acle Straight.

The foal, reportedly a Shetland pony, fell into the river but managed to swim to the other side where it became stranded on mud flats and separated from its mother.

A spokesman for the coastguard which was called to provide safety cover said: "He was difficult to get hold of, but in the end the firefighters grabbed him and ferried him back where we assisted in bringing him ashore and he was reunited with his mother."

The alarm was raised at around 9.30am today (Wednesday, June 26), and the all-clear was given at 12.12pm.

The foal is believed to be among a number of ponies, goats, and donkeys that dot the fields alongside the Acle Straight on the northern side of the road.