AN eagle-eyed Harwood woman came to the rescue of an escaped barn owl caught up in a television aerial.

When Mrs Jacqueline Greenhalgh, of Christ Church Lane, spotted the distressed bird she immediately called the fire brigade.

The owl, called Barnaby, had escaped while under the care of bird expert Philip Leggett, who lives nearby.

Mrs Greenhalgh said: "I saw the bird caught up in the aerial of the house opposite.

"When the firemen got it down the poor thing seem very distressed."

Mr Leggett said that he was given the owl after it was rescued from a bad home.

He said: "I cannot stress enough that people should not buy barn owls. They are not pets and need a lot of expert care."

A spokesman from Farnworth Fire Station said it was an unusual job for them, but they were pleased they could help out.

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