A DONKEY was unable to move after becoming trapped up to its belly in mud.

Archie had sunk in a waterlogged area of his paddock in Stock on Sunday afternoon.

The Essex Fire Service was called to the scene at 4.30pm and crews from Chelmsford, including the animal rescue unit and off-road vehicle, attended.

The donkey was completely stuck, leaving firefighters with no choice but to dig him out by hand.

Echo: Trapped- donkey completely stuck in mudTrapped- donkey completely stuck in mud (Image: ECFRS)

It was a messy mission and with the help of a vet from House and Jackson, the donkey was sedated and was freed from the mud at 7.26pm.

Yesterday, Archie’s owner Deb confirmed with the fire crew that he was completely back to his normal self after the eventful Sunday.

She said: "The firefighters were so professional and caring - they were all absolutely brilliant. I'd also like to thank the vet, Charlotte, from House and Jackson, for her help.

"Archie was up early this morning and gave us a loud bray, so he is fine."

Watch manager Andy Edwards said: "He couldn't move at all because it was thick clay.

"We dug around his legs as much as we could, but we had to wait for a vet to arrive and sedate him so that we could get the strops - special straps used in animal rescues - under him.

"We couldn't get our rescue vehicle close enough and the spades were ineffective, so we dug him out by hand and pulled him out manually. It was tough, dirty work but the crews did brilliantly.

"Thankfully, we managed to get him out and he was soon up and about."