A DOG was rescued by firefighters after he fell through ice on a frozen pond.

Zak, a springer spaniel, was minutes from being overcome by the cold after he was trapped in the ice while out walking with his owner at Hebburn, Tyneside.

As the seven-year-old dog struggled to keep his head above water, his owner, David Ewart, 14, and a friend used a mobile phone to contact firefighters for help.

Within minutes, crews were at the scene and the rescue was under way.

Firefighter Darren Carr, 42, crawled across the frozen pond with the aid of an Airtrack inflatable platform.

Station Officer Steve Graham said: "It looked like the dog had gone through the thin ice and was struggling in the water about 12ft from the side of the pond.

After about 15 minutes, fire officer Carr grabbed a piece of wood and managed to coax the dog to the side of the pond and get him out.

It is thought children throwing stones had forced Zak on to the thin ice.

David's mother, Hazel Ewart, of Mill Lane, Hebburn, said her son, a pupil at Hebburn Comprehensive School, was pleased to get him back safely.