WE'VE all heard of the Tamworth Two - the pair of pigs who escaped an abattoir more than 20 years - but what about the Bromsgrove badger?

Well, the stout scavenger's tale is perhaps not quite as impressive but he's back where he belongs after an RSPCA rescue released him back into the wild.

The black-and-white beast was pretty up-sett, having got himself stuck in an empty pond in the garden of a house off the Kidderminster Road in Bromsgrove.

The chunky creature could have been in real danger as he could not get enough grip to free himself, so RSPCA inspector Jon Ratcliffe was called to help.

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Jon said: “The badger looked to be in good health and bright and alert, he just needed a little help to get up the side of the pond.

"He must have tumbled in during the night and found himself in a bit of predicament when he couldn’t climb out.

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“Luckily, the homeowners did the right thing in giving him a bit of time to see if he could free himself, and when it became clear he couldn’t, they called us for help.

"I climbed down into the drained pond, managed to catch him in a secure carrier, and then bring him up and out of the pond.

"I then had the lovely job of releasing him back into the wild and we watched him scurry off.

“What seems a simple, straightforward job for me really could have saved the badger from a lot of danger.

"If he’d not been spotted he could have really suffered without a source of food, and especially in this hot weather, little shade. I’m really glad we were able to help.”

The animal protection charity has released details of the rescue as it reveals its workers have dealt with almost 250 incidents in Worcestershire alone since the start of the coronavirus lockdown.

Nationwide, that number is a massive 21,000, an average of 660 a day - and the charity is also looking after 4,200 animals across the country during lockdown.

The charity has released the figures as part of its emergency appeal, launched to keep its rescue teams out on the road during the coronavirus crisis and continuing to rescue animals most in need.

RSPCA officers have also been collecting animals from the homes of people admitted to hospital with Covid-19, who may not have anyone else to care for them while their owners are being treated.

Animal rescuers at the charity have been designated key workers by the government but vital funding is needed to help the RSPCA’s frontline staff continue this work - to donate, visit www.rspca.org.uk/covid

Dermot Murphy, Chief Inspectorate Officer, said: “Despite the lockdown, there are still thousands of animals which need our help.

"However, our resources are under huge strain and vital funding is needed to keep our rescue teams out on the road.

“We know that this is a difficult time for everyone but we must still be here for animals who are suffering and we are appealing for animal lovers to give whatever they can to help us.”