A COW was reunited with her waiting calf after a bank holiday swim resulted in a dramatic rescue from the deep mud of the river Wye yesterday.

Crews from the Severn Area Rescue Association (SARA) were called out at around 6.30pm yesterday evening (Monday, May 29).

South Wales Argus: Cow rescued from river Wye

When they got to the location of the call, they discovered a cow - since named Gertrude - "who had somehow ended up swimming in the Wye alongside a bank of very soft mud on a falling tide."

Her calf was left waiting in the field.

Lifeboat SARA3 with its crew arrived on scene at about 6.40pm and, for an hour, coaxed Gertrude down the river to a gully where the fire team and the farmer were preparing to extract her.

South Wales Argus: Cow rescued from river Wye

The team from Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service (GFRS) set up a line of three mud platforms to aid access, as SARA3 blocked the cow from leaving the gully.

This resulted in SARA3 coming to rest on the mud.

A second lifeboat - SARA14 from Newport - was brought in to try to release SARA3, but "we eventually had to simply tie the boat off to wait for a rising tide".

SARA14 ferried the muddy crew back to Beachley.

South Wales Argus: Cow rescued from river Wye

Gertrude meanwhile was unceremoniously dragged up the mud, by the GFRS Animal Rescue team.

As the sun was setting and Gertrude remained on the mud bank, the fire team set up scene lighting.

"Gertrude was exhausted," SARA said.

"But as they were leaving the scene our crew members witnessed her sitting up, nosing with other members of her herd who had gathered round to welcome her back."

SARA3 was recovered at around 1am today, having been refloated by the tide. It was taken back to Beachley for a well-needed hose down.