A wild rabbit was discovered nestled inside a car engine just as mechanics were about to carry out a service.

Incredibly, the frightened bunny was still alive - despite being stuck in the chassis of the Mazda for hours and driven for miles to the garage.

The unique rescue mission came after a family took their car in after it had been off the road for two years and this video of the rescue from the car engine will melt your heart.

Thankfully the rabbit was still alive, despite being trapped in the engine and driven for a few miles

Can you spot it? This was the scene greeting mechanics when they looked inside the car engine

Animal resuce expert Simon Cowell was called out to free the trapped animal, which was successful

The incident took place in Bookham, Surrey, after Simon Cowell, founder and CEO of Wildlife Aid Foundation, an animal rescue charity, was called out by concerned mechanics.

After the rescue, the terrified bunny was bundled into a postal bag and taken to nature hotspot Bookham Common, where he made a mad dash for freedom as he shot off, hopping back into the wild.

Simon said: 'The mechanic was about to service the car when he discovered the bunny.

'We don't know how he got there – the car was unused for years, so it probably seemed like a good and quiet home for a small animal.

It wasn't easy for the rescue mission to be completed, with Mr Cowell even cutting himself along the way

After the rescue, the terrified bunny was bundled into a postal bag and taken to Bookham Common

'The poor bunny was stuck in the car for hours, but luckily he was unharmed and we released him straight after the rescue.

'It took about half an hour, and I got a few injuries in the process, but the story had a happy ending.'

Once rescued the rabbit made a mad dash for freedom as he shot off, hopping back into the wild.

It took Mr Cowell about an hour in total to free the wild rabbit who was nestled in the chassis