A fortunate herring gull is back in the wild after a hair-raising ordeal involving hair extensions and a TV aerial in Hartlepool.

A vigilant local resident saw the bird in distress on a St Oswalds Street rooftop and promptly contacted the RSPCA.

As the seagull was way up high, it needed a rescue operation involving individuals with specialised training and equipment.

After a careful assessment of the situation, RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer Shane Lynn called the fire service because of the height at which the gull had become stuck.

Initially, they were unsure of what exactly the bird had been tangled in.

Mr Lynn said: "We didn’t know what the gull was tangled in - we often find discarded fishing litter causes birds to get tangled in objects like TV aerials.

"It was only when the fire service got closer that we realised it was hair extensions!

(Image: RSPCA)

"How the gull got tangled in this we’ll never know - but we suspect they then tied the gull to the aerial and the poor thing flew past, and they couldn’t escape.

"It just goes to show the unlikeliest kinds of litter can be a hazard to wildlife."

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Upon being freed, the bird had minor injuries to his leg, which were treated by a vet before it was released back to the wild.

Mr Lynn said that in his time with the RSPCA, it was the first instance in which an animal was rescued from hair extensions.

The rescue mission comes during a busy period for the RSPCA, as reports often increase during the summer months.