Stricken kitten sparks major rescue including three fire crews and a boat

A walker contacted North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service after discovering the kitten on a rock in the River Swale, at Brompton-on-Swale.

The alert prompted the service to dispatch two specialist fire crews from Ripon and Richmond, another crew from Colburn, a swift water boat, and call-up Swaledale Mountain Rescue team “for safety purposes.”

The mountain rescue team was later stood down before it could attend.

The kitten, which is thought to have fallen in the river and been washed downstream, was reunited with its owner.

A fire service spokeswoman said: “We dispatched so many appliances for safety reasons for crews.

“It was a very happy ending.

“It is like the classic firefighters rescue a cat from a tree story, but with a twist.”

The rescue took place at 6.45pm on Thursday.