SIX cows had to be rescued from an underground Dorset slurry pit.

Firefighters rescued the animals after they got stuck in the underground pit in Puddletown at around 3.20pm on Thursday (January 18).

A crew from Dorchester, alongside specialist technical rescue teams from Weymouth and Poole, helped rescue the cows at a farm near Water Barn Track, near Tolpuddle.

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“The farmer reported that they had been trapped for a couple of hours after falling through an inspection cover,” a Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said.

“With the help of farm machinery and using animal rescue strops, all six cows were safely rescued from their predicament.”

A cow pokes its head out from the underground slurry pit at a farm in Puddletown. Picture: Dorchester Fire Station

Firefighters braved the conditions to rescue the cows. Pictures: Dorchester Fire Station

Cows being brought up to the surface. Pictures: Dorchester Fire Station

Farm equipment helped in the rescue mission. Pictures: Dorchester Fire Station

Firefighters after the rescue, near Puddletown. Pictures: Dorchester Fire Station