A large Mickey Mouse balloon has been rescued by the Dún Laoghaire RNLI following a brief search in Co Wicklow.

The lifeboat crew mobilised after a series of 999 calls were made reporting an object crashing into the sea off Bray.

It had initially been feared a paraglider operating in the area may have gotten into difficulty but those concerns were allayed yesterday evening when the volunteer team discovered the object was in fact a balloon.

The stricken mouse was being carried towards the cliffs at Shanganagh by a light breeze and a flood tide when the crew of seven hauled it aboard.

“We’re happy that this was a call made with good intent and calling 999 and asking for coast rescue is always the best course of action,” said operations manager at Dún Laoghaire RNLI Stephen Wynne.

A spokesman said although the type of calls the crew respond to are “very varied”, they’ve never had to rescue a Mickey Mouse balloon before.

The calls they get range from people in trouble around the shore or on cliffs to large vessels running into difficulty out at sea, he said.

Dún Laoghaire RNLI usually responds to about 60 calls a year with the majority of those coming during the six month spring/summer period.