A FAMILY of ducks stranded in a garden “far from any pond” have been saved by a Highbridge animal rescue charity.

With no nearby water source, the ducklings were at a high risk of being killed by road traffic or predators, so needed to be relocated.

A spokesperson for Secret World Wildlife Rescue said: "Recently, Secret World were contacted by a concerned member of the public regarding a family of ducks.

"A female duck had laid her eggs in their garden, far from any pond.

"Once hatched, the ducklings were at a high risk of either being killed on the road or being taken by predators.

"The mother duck made her nest in someone's garden, but there was no water source, and they were not able to get out of the garden to find a nearby pond.

"As well as providing food for ducks, a good water source also protects the ducklings from most predators, so getting them onto a local pond was very important for their survival.

"Due to avian influenza restrictions, we are currently unable to bring water birds into our centre for care. We were able to help in this instance as it was a simple matter of relocation.

"Luckily, we knew of a safe release site that would be perfect for their relocation. See our video of them moving into their new home."

"However, if an animal is found injured, we recommend that the finder takes the animal to their nearest vet or calls us to see if we have a volunteer available to transport the animal.

This applies to all water birds, including ducks, gulls, swans, waders and sea birds."