A PINING puppy gave a family a real scare when he became helplessly trapped in a bike chain and had to be released by firemen.

Harry, a 12-week-old collie cross, was painfully stuck in the chain for about two hours.

Owners, Phillip and Mary Ingram, of Spendmore Lane, Coppull, who bought the pup as a sixth birthday present for their son Benjamin, were at their neighbours' wedding reception at Park Hall and returned to discover the accident.

Phillip explained: "He was out in the yard and has climbed up over my son's bike to look over the wall and it looks like he's slipped.

"His paws were in the main cog and the chain has gone over the top. My son stands the bike upside down to keep the rain off the seat."

Phillip added:"It was my neighbours' dog who had the puppies and he was trying to look over the wall at his mum and sort of fell.

"When we got home we thought he was dead. He was upside down and wet through."

Benjamin, who attends Roe Hey Drive School, Coppull, named Harry after the dog in the hit film "Dummer and Dummer."

Firefighters from Chorley rushed to the emergency following a call from the family who could not release Harry and feared he had broken some bones.

But a visit to the emergency vet revealed the poor pooch had only sustained ligament and pad damage and after being kept in overnight he is now recovering back at home.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.