HARRY the Houdini hamster was brought back to life by fire crews after his great escape almost ended in tragedy.

The furry adventurer ended up swimming for his life after climbing into the drainage system at his owners' home.

And firefighters revived him with heart massage and oxygen after he stopped breathing.

Annette Fishwick, of Cambridge Drive, Padiham, had left Harry happily playing inside his ball but when she went to put him back in his cage the ball was empty and Harry was gone.

Annette, 30, said: "I turned all the lights on and I heard a rustling and he had got through a tiny hole and into the drainage system."

Annette called her dad Frederick Kearns and he unscrewed the panels around the drains. They saw Harry at the bottom of a 2ft pipe up to his neck in water.

Harry's owners, Annette's three daughters Carly, seven, Jessica, five, and 20-month-old Stephanie, had gone to bed before Harry decided to do his Houdini act.

Annette's sister Julie and her husband Neil joined in the rescue attempt, but after 90 minutes they admitted defeat and called the fire brigade.

Leading Firefighter Nick Sutcliffe said: "We tried scoop poles and managed to get him out using a piece of elastic but he wasn't breathing.

"The lads were a bit down-hearted so we made every effort to get him back to life.

"Whether it is a pet or a person it is treated the same. We massaged his heart, warmed him up using towels and a hair dryer and gave him oxygen and he started breathing again."

Annette said: "I couldn't thank the firefighters enough - they said they would be there in five minutes and they were and they saved Harry's life. I bought them a large box of chocolates and a card to thank them."

And what of Harry's three little owners? They slept through the whole affair!

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