A PAIR of deer got into a bit of a pickle after finding themselves marooned in the River Windrush near Witney town centre this morning.
Thames Valley Fire Control Service received a call at 9.25am after a member of the public found the animals in the river next to Bridge Street.
Two fire engines were sent from Witney Fire Station, along with a specialist animal and water rescue team from Kidlington.
The Roe Deer were found to be stood in a reasonably still part of the river next to the building, where they were being protected from the water flow by the structure of the bridge.
The crews took precautions to make sure the deer were not washed into deeper and faster moving water and then hopped into an inflatable boat so they could rescue the animals.
Station manager David Bray said: “Unfortunately the deer became very unsettled when our specialist teams closed in on them, and they made a break for it, with one going downstream and the other bounding back upstream.
“Fortunately our downstream safety precautions worked perfectly, enabling those crew members to get hold of the deer when its passage was halted by the air inflated hose line.
“The other deer was followed back up stream where it was cornered in an outhouse in a garden adjacent to the river.
“An officer from the RSPCA was in attendance and our crews worked seamlessly with them in order to create a plan that would enable the rescue to be conducted with minimal stress being caused to the animals.”
Both of the deer were safely transported back up stream to a nearby meadow where they were safely released, running off into the trees.