Firefighters got a surprise when they were called to rescue a sheep from the roof of a house in North Yorkshire.

The sheep got onto the roof after climbing onto a kennel and a shed before getting onto the low roof of an adjoining building.

It then made a short leap on to the roof of a house in the village of Middlesmoor, North Yorkshire.

Fire crews tried to rescue the sheep but it eventually fell from the roof and suffered a broken leg.

The animal was left with a local farmer so it could be treated.

Officers who took part in the rescue attempt were unavailable for comment but their colleague Paul Ferguson, a watch manager at Harrogate Fire Station, said: "It's the first time I've heard of having to rescue an animal from a roof!

"It would have been a difficult situation because you can't know how the sheep is going to behave in those circumstances and obviously it took the wrong course of action.

"I would imagine the officer in charge had little hope of getting a safe situation for the sheep because of its nervous behaviour."



