A JCB was used to help rescue a horse trapped in an 8ft deep cesspit at a farm near Stafford.

Firefighters were called to Upper Hanyards Farm in Hanyards Lane, Tixall, at 6.30pm yesterday.

A team of eight were involved in pulling and rolling the 17-hand tall horse, which weighed three-quarters of a tonne, to safety.

The operation took more than three hours and involved putting straps and lines on the horse and using the JCB to knock down a wall and dig away part of the pit.

A vet was called in to sedate the horse during the rescue operation.

The animal survived its ordeal and was back on its feet in its stable when the two fire crews left the scene at 10.25pm.

The horse had strayed into the partly covered pit and got its legs trapped.