A HORSE was rescued by firefighters in Darwen after becoming trapped in brambles in an embankment, in a remote location away from the nearest road.

Firefighters called in Lancashire Fire and Rescue Urban Search and Rescue team from Chorley and a specialist Rope Rescue team from St Anne’s to set up a procedure, supervised by a vet, to rescue the horse using portable lifting gear, ropes and straps.

The horse was found in Bolton Road, quite a distance from it’s stable in Mount Pleasant Farm, just before 6pm on Wednesday.

The animal had reportedly lost feeling in its leg, and fire fighters tried to lift it upright to get it’s circulation flowing.

The rescue took around three hours in severe weather conditions.

Unfortunately, the two-year-old 13 hands brown horse suffered a cardiac arrest and died after being rescued.