Firefighters rescued a pregnant horse after it became stuck in a swamp in Beckton in the early hours of this morning.
Specialist rescue crews were called to Jenkins Lane, close to the A13, after a horse, named Apple, escaped through a fence and fell into a muddy swamp.
Apple’s owner had tried to remove the horse from the ditch for more than three hours before calling the Brigade for assistance.
Watch manager Emma Carr, from Bethnal Green fire station, said: “It was a difficult job for crews. Apple was stuck in the water and mud with, at times, just her head above it.
“Due to the location she was in, it was difficult for crews to reach her so we had to use strops, mud paths and our physical strength to pull her out as you couldn’t have got any machinery down to where Apple was.”
Apple, who is approximately five months pregnant, was sedated by vets to prevent her from becoming even more distressed while crews worked to free her.
Emma added: “If you notice an animal in distress, the first thing to do should be to call the RSPCA if you see an animal in difficulty. If assistance from firefighters is required, the RSPCA will call us.
“However in this instance, Apple’s owner was right to call the Brigade for our assistance to help release her from the swamp.”
The Brigade was called at 0001 and the incident was over for firefighters at 0305. Crews from Bethnal Green, East Ham and Lewisham fire stations attended the scene.