THE RSPCA and local firefighters have rescued a trapped squirrel from inside the panel of a bus shelter in Plymouth.

The charity was called on Tuesday, October 3, to Paradise Road in Plymouth, where a grey squirrel’s tail could be seen poking out of the bottom of the metal panel of the bus shelter.

RSPCA inspector Ellie Burt attended the bus stop near Stoke Damerel Church to try and free the poor stuck squirrel.

She said: “All I could see was his tail hanging out of the bottom of the bus shelter. The poor squirrel had got himself well and truly stuck inside the metal panel and was really lucky that someone spotted him and phoned us.

“I tried to carefully release him but the gap was too narrow to get him back out so I contacted the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Services for help.

“I was very grateful that they could arrive and open the side panel of the bus shelter which was enough to dislodge the squirrel and bring him to safety - it’s a great reminder what we can achieve together for animal welfare. 

“I checked him over but he thankfully didn’t have any injuries and he scurried straight off and into the trees.”

The grey squirrel - which is considered an invasive alien species - cannot legally be released back into the wild if taken into care for rehabilitation or treatment. They can only be legally released in situ - as was the case here.

For more information about grey squirrels, please visit the: RSPCA’s website.

If you see an animal in distress and in need of urgent rescue, please visit: https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/wildlife/injured .