A GANG of builders went to great lengths - and heights - to rescue a swan, after it had strayed on to their construction site and got trapped in the shell of a half-completed building.

The distressed animal flew through an open window on the Tannery site in Downton last week, sparking a dramatic rooftop rescue.

The swan was attempting to come in to land on the River Avon, which borders the site, but it missed its target and ended up inside the building.

When the builders realised that they had an unwanted feathered visitor, they called the RSPCA for assistance.

Unfortunately, the only point of access to the under-construction building was over the rooftop.

Animal collection officer Lee Griffin bravely accepted the challenge and clambered in to tackle the anxious and aggressive bird.

She captured it and wrapped it in a green vinyl pouch designed to protect the bird's wings, only to realise that the only way out again was back over the rooftop - this time carrying a heavy and agitated young swan.

But the builders were on hand with a solution, forming a human chain to pass the animal out over the roof to safety before depositing it into the bucket of a digger and lowering it to the ground completely unscathed.