A pregnant cow has had to be rescued by firefighters after she got stuck in a small swimming pool.

The 590kg (93-stone) cow was found in the deep end of the pool in two to three feet of water at a house in Ketton, Rutland.

Leicestershire fire and rescue service was called to the property on Monday afternoon and, during a three-hour operation, drained the pool and hoisted the cow to safety.

The team used a downer cow safety harness, a piece of equipment designed to protect her udders, to lift her from the pool.

A vet then checked the cow over. It is understood she had suffered a cut to her front leg but was otherwise pronounced “fit and well”.

In a post on Facebook, a fire service spokesperson joked that the cow had “checked herself in for a spa day”.

The post read: “Southern station were called out to a residential swimming pool in Rutland where a pregnant heifer had checked herself in for a spa day! The only problem is, she couldn’t check herself out …

“Blue Watch drained the pool and then lifted her to safety using a downer cow harness; a piece of equipment designed to protect her udders.

“Hopefully that will be her last swim of the season.”

Commenting on the fire service’s post, one Facebook user suggested the cow knew exactly what she was doing. “She wanted a water birth,” the user wrote.