A fox cub was rescued after spending around nine hours trapped underground in a wastewater pipe in Humberston, Lincolnshire. Residents first heard the animal's barks from beneath a street grate on Sunday afternoon and called firefighters, who confirmed it was stuck roughly 2ft below ground but could not free it, prompting a joint operation involving wildlife rescuers, water engineers and vets.

The cub, named Valor by his rescuers, had crawled some 300m (984ft) through the narrow 10cm-wide pipe network before becoming lodged, with his front legs caught and his body forced into an almost upright position. Anglian Water engineers used thermal imaging cameras and probes to locate him after Humberside Fire and Rescue Service abandoned their attempt, and Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue then worked for more than nine hours, lowering water levels and widening the gap, before finally pulling him free. Valor underwent surgery for multiple wounds and is expected to make a full recovery.