FIREFIGHTERS deserved a pat on the back after coming to the rescue of a stranded cow on Sunday morning (Jan 21).

Cutting equipment and a special hoist were used by Bury crews to free the trapped cow stuck in the sludge-filled foundations of a derelict house in Walmersley.

The cow had walked across the old cellar of Grant's Mansion near to Springside Farm, off Walmersley Old Road, when it sank up to its belly and its legs became trapped in brick work. A tree stump also had to be moved in the three-hour operation to help release it. The animal was uninjured.