Firefighters plucked a pooch to safety after he was trapped in a rabbit hole for two days.

Fred, the three-year-old jack russell terrier, was enjoying one of his usual romps in nearby fields but his owner Helen Purcell knew something was wrong when the dog failed to return home to Cressing Park Livery Stables.

A search party involving friends and firefighters was sent out the next day after Fred could be heard but not seen.

Underground tracking equipment was used but to no avail. It was left to a stranger walking his golden labrador to save the day.

The dog picked up Fred's scent and made a beeline for a rabbit hole in woodland.

Firefighters were then called back and helped dig Fred out of his sticky situation.

A delighted Miss Purcell said: "I thought I had lost him forever. Fred's always going on adventures and he's very good at not staying out for too long.

"It was agonising because we could hear Fred yelling and barking but we couldn't see him. I'm so grateful to the firefighters and the man who came along with the labrador - I have no idea who he was.

"Fred's got a cut to his leg because it was caught up in tree roots. I've been told by a vet that dogs can last about a week without food or water.

"But two days is too close to comfort for my Fred."

Braintree fire station officer Dave Mayes said: "We had to cut some bushes and brambles to get to the hole but it didn't take us very long to dig the dog out.

"It was only a little thing but it was very shaken."

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