Iguanas and seals among pets rescued by fire brigade

The London Fire Brigade rescued more than 611 animals last year including cows, iguanas, seals, hamsters, donkeys and a snake.

Firefighters saved cats stuck up chimneys, a horse in a canal, a deer on top of a fence and a puppy with its head wedged between two concrete posts.

Figures obtained by the Standard show the LFB spent 413 hours last year rescuing animals after 999 calls made by their owners or the RSPCA, at a cost of at least £107,414 - or about £260 an hour.

The time spent on the calls was up from 344 hours in 2009.

RSPCA animal collection officer Jill Saunders said that a few weeks ago fire crews spent hours, with the help of a hydraulic ladder, rescuing a cat stuck on a drain pipe three storeys up in Paddington.

Dave Brown, LFB's Assistant Commissioner for Operations, said: "We'd ask people to keep a close eye on their pets in the first place and unless it's a real emergency, call the RSPCA rather than dialling 999."