A lonely young swan had to be rescued after finding itself on a beach in Littlestone, on Romney Marsh.

The ugly duckling had first been reported wandering along a road near Littlestone water tower, putting itself at risk and holding up the traffic.

Romney Marsh Countryside Partnership volunteer Owen Leyshon was tasked with finding the lonely bird, only to find that it had disappeared from the road.

However, a few hours later, the feathered fugitive was reported on the beach by the tower.

Mr Leyshon said: "I took some calls from the Dungeness RSPB that there was a swan on the beach.

"Someone must have put it over the sea wall.

"When a swan is in an area like this there are so many risks to its wellbeing.

"It is vulnerable to dogs attacking it, cars running it over, or a fox getting it after dark on the beach.

"Swans roost on still water to escape predators, and obviously that would not be possible where it was."

With that in mind, Mr Leyshon caught the swan and drove it to a quieter, safer lake.

He said: "The bird didn't have any obvious injuries, and I am always keen to release a healthy animal straight away.

"Once I released it, it swam away and looked perfectly happy.

"On the downside, I think my car's going to need a hefty clean."

This isn't the first time a swan has ended up far from safety, one caused chaos on the M20 in September.

Escaped animals, unusual finds and news from the RSPCA can all be found here.

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