We have all heard of firemen saving cats stuck up trees but this was an altogether more exotic rescue for Great Yarmouth firefighters.

Living up to their reputation for doing much more than just fighting fires, a crew from Great Yarmouth Fire Station spent their downtime saving the life of a pet parrot this week.

Yarmouth resident Angie Hamilton returned home from a two-week holiday in Orlando, Florida, on Tuesday but within minutes of walking through the front door realised her green macaw Oscar was unwell.

The two-year-old had somehow squashed his identification tag into his foot, nearly cutting off the blood supply.

Angie, 30, worried he might have blood poisoning or an infection, tried in vain to cut the ring off at home, but with the parrot in need of urgent help headed to the Friars Lane fire station hoping, in a last-ditch effort, that the local watch could help.

'We tried getting it off at home with a pair of pliers but it wouldn't budge and it was clearly hurting him, so I rushed him down to the fire station.

'I wasn't sure if they would help, but they were fantastic. They had a special ring cutting tool and cut straight through the band. They saved his life.

'I just want to publicly thank them. I don't think people realise that they do all these things.

'Their fast actions saved a much - loved member of our family.'

Angie, who has three colourful macaws and four cockatoos at her home off Yarmouth seafront, said Oscar's leg is still swollen but on the mend and he is getting back to his usual playful self.

Martin Harris, watch manager at Yarmouth Fire Station, said: 'We were pleased to be able help Ms Hamilton and her macaw.

'Helping animals in distress is one of the roles of the fire service although this situation was a little bit more exotic than we're used to.'

Mr Harris added: 'Ms Hamilton was kind enough to make a donation of £10 to the Fire Fighters Charity as a result, for which we're very grateful.'