So firefighters in Harrogate were naturally surprised when they were called out to rescue this baarmy ram stuck on the roof of a two storey house.

The woolly wanderer had found its way up through the garden of a neighbouring cottage, hopped onto a small outbuilding before trotting up to the top, but then got stranded.

Two crews from Harrogate Fire Station and a volunteer crew from Lofthouse were called to bring it back to ground.

Crowds watched in disbelief as an aerial ladder platform was deployed in an attempt to rescue the sheep as it grazed on rooftop greenery.

Firefighters tried to steer it to safety but it had other ideas and ran onto an adjacent slate roof, which had become slippery in the rain, and fell off. He suffered a broken rear leg, which is being treated.

Watch manager Ben Cairns, from Harrogate Fire Station Green Watch, said: "It's possibly the most unusual animal that we have attempted to rescue from a roof."

"It slipped off the front of the property and landed. It was fine, although its leg was injured. We left it with villagers who knew the local farmer. "