A fire crew had no time for flapping when they were called to reports of a pigeon trapped in a gate.

Firefighters from West Norwood fire station attended the dramatic scene on Bushell Close, Streatham Hill, shortly after 10pm last night where the helpless bird had become wedged between a resident's security gate and front door.

It took them less than five minutes to set the unfortunate creature free but one crew member said he feared it had later become "fox food".

"It looked absolutely exhausted," he said. "I thought it was dead but we gradually pushed it out. We put it down on a bit of grass and it was struggling to move."

A recent Freedom of Information (FOI) request made by the Streatham Guardian revealed the bizarre animal rescues which fire crews had been roped into, including a crow trapped in a kite and a cat caught behind a radiator.

The crew member added: "We are not resentful [about being called out] but it was definitely something we didn't need to attend."