Fearless Steve Dockery took on the role of Mother Goose when he waded into the chilly waters of a lake.

The RSPCA chief inspector rescued a Canada goose after it had become entangled in a fishing line at Leybourne Lakes.

The bird was unable to move after becoming trapped by a 30ft cord extending from the branch of a tree.

He said: “There was no time to organise a boat, the goose was getting weaker and weaker.
“It was trying frantically to free itself by diving up and down, but just getting more exhausted. So I just went straight in and scooped it up in one hand while I undid the line around it.

"After we got the goose on land we gave it a thorough check before letting it toddle back into the water.”

The country park offers ranger-led activities throughout the year. It was one of the park’s rangers that saw the goose in distress and called in the RSPCA.

Mr Dockery added: “Although most anglers do clean up after themselves, fishing litter is still a major problem which can be extremely damaging to wildlife.
“Discarded lines and hooks can easily snag water birds and other wildlife.”