Firefighters struggled for more than four hours to rescue a cow stranded in the River Aire on Tuesday night.

They were alerted at about 10pm that the animal was in the river at Riddlesden.

It required both Keighley and Idle crews, the strength of 12 men and a giant sling carried by the Idle crew, to get the cow out.

Another obstacle for the firefighters was that the cow was stuck between the Leeds-Liverpool canal and the River Aire which meant them having to transport their equipment to the scene by Landrover.

Firefighter Dave Hillam days: "The men had to go in the water with the cow. They showed a great deal of tenacity and a lot of determination."

"The cow was none the worse for her experience. Towards the end, the cow was getting tired and was pretty much giving up. We tried to be as humane as possible."

It is believed the animal belonged to Ealam Grange Farm.

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