A HORSE and wagon were rescued from a roadside ditch by a fire crew in Berrow after the animal was spooked by a passing vehicle.

The incident occurred on Red Road at 2.33pm on Friday, August 23.

The owners of the horse and wagon were unharmed, and the horse itself was uninjured.

A spokesperson for the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said: "A specialist animal rescue officer together with a fire appliance from Bridgwater were mobilised to Red Road at Berrow, near Burnham-on-Sea, this afternoon after the owner of a traditional covered wagon and their horse had overturned and ended up in a rhyne.

"Luckily the owners were able to get out uninjured and the horse was also uninjured, but the horse remained in the rhyne and the overturned wagon in the rhyne as well.

"After assessing the incident and liaising with the horse's owner we were able to safely remove the horse from the water by walking it out.

"Horses can get highly stressed very quickly so it is important to keep the animal calm where possible.

"Our safety procedures and knowledge, together with the presence of the owner and liaising with them throughout, are often a good combination to a successful rescue and the horse being reunited."