DESMOND the duck was recovering yesterday just hours after he was left dangling from a tree.

Firefighters and RSPCA inspector Ian Jackson named the Mallard drake Desmond after rescuing it from a tree in Auckland Park, yards away from the Bishop of Durham's residence in Bishop Auckland.

The park warden was alerted to the duck's plight at about 8pm on Sunday as he was locking up for the night. When Mr Jackson arrived the bird was hanging from a branch by one wing and was quite distressed.

He said: "He was just hanging there. There was nowhere for him to stand and his feet were dangling."

Firefighters from Bishop Auckland were called because Desmond was too high up to reach with a ladder.

Mr Jackson said: "It is impossible to say how long he was there but we got him down at about 10pm."

Rope was used to pull the branches down for Desmond to jump off. However a rather inelegant landing saw it fall on to a fireman's head and on to the ground with a bump.

It is a mystery how the duck found itself in such a predicament but Mr Jackson said it might have been trying to land or just not seen the branch.

Desmond escaped with just a few grazes and after a couple of days of rest and care it can be released into the wild.