Jersey firefighters rescue pony from swimming pool

A pony has been rescued from a swimming pool in an incident attended by island fire crews.

A couple raised the alarm after they found the pony had broken through a fence around its paddock and fallen into their pool in St Peter.

They held the pony in the shallow end of the pool while a firefighter went into the water to help control it.

A platform was then built in the pool from wood found around the area, to help the horse climb out.

On the advice from a local vet, the rescue team put a fire hose under the pony's torso and used it to lift and roll the pony out of the pool and onto the patio.

Station Commander Marc Le Cornu said: "This rescue was a good example of the diverse variety of challenges that can be faced by our crews and the ingenuity that they must use to try to overcome the challenges.

"The combined efforts of the crews and the advice of the attending vet were excellent and helped this pony to walk away from his unplanned morning dip."

Firefighters said once the pony was out of the pool it was quickly dried off and led back to his paddock, cold and wet but none the worse for his escapade.