FIREFIGHTERS hauled a 12-stone St Bernard puppy to safety after he became stranded in a canal.

Rufus, a dead ringer for canine star Beethoven, became stuck after he fell into the water from a beer garden wall.

The giant pooch, which belongs to Michaela Vigne, landlady of the Albion pub in Whalley Road, Clayton-Le-Moors, had to be rescued from a mud bank with an animal net.

The alarm was raised by Michaela after eight-month-old Rufus was spotted on the mud bank.

She spent two hours trying to coax the dog to safety but Accrington firefighters were called in when he refused to budge. Mick Holmes, officer-in-charge, said: "He was a big dog and it took six of us to pull him up the bank, but he was none the worse."

Michaela said: "He fell off the wall and I tried for two hours to rescue him.

"He is a bit sore and hurt his leg but I am not letting him out again."

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