Swan wedged in drain is freed by kayaker after it got stuck following a fight

A hapless swan was the focus of a dramatic rescue after getting wedged into a canal overflow drain after a fight.

The swan, which was mute, couldn’t call for help after getting stuck inside the drain hole with its ‘rival’, who was also unable to wriggle free.

Locals in Ulverston, Cumbria, spotted the bird’s head sticking out of a drain hole and called for help.

Specialist rescuer Caroline Simms was called in to reach it and was only able to free them after using a canoe to reach the drain.

She was contacted by staff at the Bay Horse Hotel and Restaurant, which overlooks the canal.

Owner Lesley Wheeler recalled: ‘A passer-by noticed this unfortunate swan had got stuck in the overflow drain of the canal basin at Canal Foot.

‘Caroline Simm immediately went to the rescue. She hauled them both out while balancing in a kayak. It was pretty amazing to watch.’

Swans are a common sight, especially around Canal Foot and near Furness Abbey, with local groups actively monitoring and helping them.

Earlier this year, a ‘confused’ swan stopped traffic on a four-lane stretch of the M1.

Local officers were forced to intervene and nab the bird, which caused a complete stop of traffic.

National Highways officer Adrian Woods helped capture the swan with a ‘swan bag’.

He told the BBC: ‘Unfortunately, when the roads are wet, or there is a haze over the carriageway, swans think it is a body of water and land on the road.

‘It is a bit of a shock when they hit the ground, so the swan was a bit confused and its ego bruised.’

Luckily, the swan was uninjured and taken to a nearby lake, where it swam off happily.

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