The squirrel had "eyes bigger than its stomach"

A resident in Christchurch, Dorset alerted the RSPCA after finding it stuck in the peanut-filled feeder.

Insp Graham Hammond said that the squirrel had "eyes bigger than its stomach" and had lost its figure while feasting in the wire-frame last week.

He said it was "quite an unusual rescue".

"I think this squirrel had eyes bigger than its stomach but after it had stuffed itself with nuts, it had a stomach too large to escape the feeder - one which ironically, was designed to be squirrel-proof," he said.

Insp Hammond said he managed to widen the gaps between two of the bars with the aid of a crow-bar and a grasper - to release the squirrel, which was not hurt.

"As soon as the gap increased he shot off. I was slightly insulted," he added.