THEY were scenes that could have come from the latest Rolf Harris animal rescue show.

Council workers and members of the public stood jaws agape as a cat was pursued with a cardboard box 30 feet up on the windswept ledge of Blackburn Town Hall balcony.

But the adventurous moggy did not want to come down, and proceeded to play a game of cat and mouse with its pursuer. It leapt to the ledge above and slid in front of the windows to the Mayor's parlour, where staff tried to grab it, but it was just out of reach.

As highways worker Bernard Crankshaw moved the council cherry-picker to get closer, the overweight cat retreated back to the relative safety of the balcony. So back went the cherry-picker and up Bernard went again. Finally as the cat contemplated another evasive leap it was grabbed and pulled to safety in the nick of time.

How long the cat had been on the balcony or who it belonged to nobody knew, but it was spotted by town hall staff as they turned in for work yesterday morning. It's thought the cat, which could have been there all weekend, had scaled scaffolding in search of pigeons and had crawled along the ledge to the balcony.

Jan Foster, central services manager, arranged for the feline - visibly shaken up by its ordeal - to be taken to the vets for a check-up.

She said: "I don't know what we are going to do with it. I have been asking all the staff if they have room for a cat.

"I phoned the RSPCA but they said they couldn't do anything unless the cat had been there for more than 48 hours, but it could have been there all weekend."

Bernard said: "She's a very strong cat. If I put her in the back of the truck it might just give her a chance to calm down a bit, she is a bit shaken up at the minute."

Are you the owner of the town hall fat cat? Phone the newsdesk on 01254 678678.