A resident has praised Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service for rescuing a neighbour’s beloved cat who was stuck in a tree.

On Sunday afternoon (July 9), Cherry the cat was trapped in the 40 foot tree in Waterfoot for more than a day, and needed three fire crews from across Lancashire to get her down the following day.

Wendy Robinson, the cat owner’s neighbour, was trying to free Cherry for a while as her dog, Teddy, was playfully chasing the cat right before it ran up the tree.

After attempting several different methods to try help Cherry down, Wendy called the RSPCA who suggested ringing the fire brigade.

Wendy said: “I called Rawtenstall fire station and they said the best thing to do is leave it overnight and if she isn’t down by 10am on Monday (July 10) to call them again.

“When I called them the next morning because she was still up there, a crew from Rawtenstall turned up, then the Accrington service, then Blackpool.

“There were two fire engines, a big fire van and loads of firefighters – my day was made.

"The tree climbers got right to the top of the tree then another fire engine arrived with a triple extension ladder.

“Cherry must’ve had enough because she eventually got in the builder’s bag. The tree climbers were so brilliant.

"For all those firefighters to turn up for this little cat and for the amount of time it took was just amazing.

“They were excellent and all really good natured. They said it’s almost a myth that people phone up all the time for a cat stuck in the tree because this is only the second time in 20 years they’ve had this situation.

“I’m just so grateful for all of them who helped us. They deserve recognition because they do some amazing work and it’s easy to take emergency services for granted so thank you to them all.”