Animal rescuers risked life and limb to rescue a little fox cub that got its head stuck in a tin.

The rescue team from the Leatherhead’s Wildlife Aid Foundation, Simon Cowell and the charity’s veterinary nurse Lucy Kells, responded to an emergency call on Tuesday, May 15.

A member of the public had spotted the poor fox wandering around their garden in Leatherhead in a state of great distress.

Mrs Kells chased the male fox into the bushes while Mr Cowell tried to head him off by running round the other side of the adjacent house.

As the cub disappeared Mrs Kells launched herself forward to catch the cub.

Mr Cowell said: "The next thing I saw Lucy lying flat out, with one arm around the branch of a bush, and leaning over a thin wire fence that looked as if it was about to give way.

"She called out ‘I've got him’ but it was at that moment I saw that immediately beyond her was a 30ft drop.

"Lucy is absolutely terrified of heights but she had been so focused on saving the fox cub that she had not even noticed that there was a sheer drop.

"She had got hold of the cub with one hand and the branch with the other. Luckily I was in the nick of time to grab both Lucy and the cub and pull them back to safety."

They removed the tin can and saved the cub from a lingering death.

Mr Cowell said the next day a fox was brought in to the wildlife hospital that had got itself caught up in industrial strength plastic sheeting which was cutting into his body.

Fortunately the team were again able to save the fox and Mr Cowell added: "Whatever you feel about foxes, nobody could possibly want any animal to suffer such a horrible and prolonged death. So remember. Litter can be a killer."

Mrs Kells who runs the veterinary hospital at the wildlife centre recently won national Vet Nurse if the Year award for her work.