Council workers made cheeping noises and strategically placed slices of bread in an hour-long rescue mission to help three little ducklings trapped down a drain.
Cheshire West and Chester Council was alerted to the birds’ plight by a member of the public who heard cheeping coming from a drain on a roundabout yesterday morning.
Highways engineers Jerry Gibbs and Martin Howard found that the ducklings were trapped in an underground pipe and, with the help of RSPCA inspector Nadine Pengilly, gently scooped up the birds using a net.
Jerry said: ‘We think they ended up in the pipe after falling down a gulley and they could have been stuck down there for a few hours or even a few days – we can’t be sure.
‘I’m pleased to say ducklings didn’t seem fazed by their little adventure.
‘It’s not the first time we’ve had to come to the rescue of wildlife stuck in a drain, but it is the first time we’ve had to make cheeping noises in the course of a day’s work.’
