AN incident in Colchester made the list of animals rescued from the most tricky spots in 2022.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) shared some of the most weird and wonderful incidents the charity’s officers were called to throughout the year.

A recurring theme in RSPCA rescues in 2022 was foxes getting their head stuck in things, including a vixen that became trapped in a watering can in Colchester in February.

In the same month, a fox found with a large tin can of dog food in Barking, London, proved to be a warning on “how dangerous litter can be”, according to RSPCA inspector Dale Grant.

More than one fox caught themselves in the central hole of an old wheel, including a cub which had found its way into a shed in Orpington, south-east London.

Rodney Kenny, animal rescue officer at the RSCPA, said: “The residents had also discovered his sister in the shed, anxiously watching her brother

“There was no time to spare as the fox had likely been stuck for several days without food or water.”

However, it was quickly extracted with soapy water and both cubs were taken into care.

Other interesting cases include an august incident that saw RSPCA rescuers use barbecue tongs to pull a hedgehog free from an open drain in Hull, East Yorkshire.

Gary Cotton, animal rescue officer at RSPCA, added: “It was great teamwork, it involved a little bit of gentle persuasion and the use of some BBQ tongs to carefully ease him out of the drain.”

He checked over the hedgehog with fellow rescuer Laura Barber before releasing him back into the wild.

The fire service had to be called after another hedgehog tumbled 25ft into a historic ice house on the Dawnay Estates near Scarborough, North Yorkshire in September.

Thomas Hutton, RSPCA inspector, said: “The deep well was dug and used to store ice during the summer in the 1800s and, while no longer used, has been preserved for visitors

“This little visitor, however, couldn’t get back out after falling into the ice house so we had to clamber down to rescue him. Thankfully he wasn’t injured.”