Shropshire firefighters in warning to walkers after dog rescue
Firefighters have issued a warning to walkers after they had to rescue a dog after it vanished down a 25ft hole in an area of old mine workings in the Clee Hills.
It comes after fire crews rescued Marley, a grey Staffordshire terrier, from the bottom of a concrete lined storage container.
It is the second pet they have had to rescue from the area in the past five years.
The dog had disappeared down the hole after running into a disused building while out on a walk with his owners, Deborah Ellsey and her six-year-old son Jaden, on Tuesday night.
On-call firefighters from Ludlow, who were at Ludlow Fire Station after returning from a road crash, were on the scene within ten minutes of the alarm call.
They used a triple extension ladder for firefighter Martin Owen to climb down and and use line safety equipment to bring the family pet safely back to the surface.
John Taylor, watch manager at Ludlow fire station, urged walkers to keep their dogs on a lead and children close by when walking in the area of the disused mine building, where there are a number of uncapped storage containers.
He said: "This is a warning to people.
"It could have been another story if the young child had wandered into the building.
"Fortunately the dog appeared shocked with some bleeding from his paws but was mainly unscathed by the ordeal."
He said the early evening incident on Tuesday this week was the second time a dog had fallen down one of the storage containers.
