Efforts to free a kestrel which was trapped by its leash 50ft up in a tree in north Norfolk have been successful.

A fire officer was summoned to Station Road, West Runton, just after 1pm to try and rescue the privately-owned bird but the kestrel was too high up to reach with a ladder.

A tree surgeon was contacted and was able to free the bird using a cherry picker, which the bird's owner also went in to help with the rescue. The bird was returned to its owner, without any injuries, by 3pm.

Dennis Martins, warden at Incleboro Fields Caravan Club Site in West Runton where the bird was trapped, said of the two-year-old bird, called Pip, 'The bird was stressed when it was up in the tree and was hanging upside down.'

He believed the bird had flown away from a child's arm while a demonstration was being given at a nearby caravan park.