A 12-year-old cow named Diamond was successfully rescued after it became stranded in a pond.

The Kent Fire and Rescue Service’s specialist animal rescue unit pulled her from the pond close to Headcorn Place Farm, Headcorn, near Maidstone, shortly after 8am on Wednesday.

Station Officer John Mclean, who led the rescue, said: “This was a textbook rescue and the equipment we used was ideal for an incident of this type.

Diamond’s owner, farmer Colin Hosmer, said he was thankful that the fire service had the equipment to deal with such an incident.

“I was very impressed at the calm and efficient way the firefighters handled the rescue,” he said. “The treatment she was given was superb and she seems to have made a full recovery.”