A gull had to be rescued by firefighters after it became trapped in netting on the roof of a house.

The herring gull got caught by its wing and foot in netting after landing on a roof in Princess Avenue, Worthing.

Residents called the RSPCA and fire crews were drafted in to help with the rooftop rescue.

The bird was cut from the nylon netting and was taken to the vet to recover from its ordeal on March 24.

The RSPCA are urging people to be careful with netting they install in an effort to deter seagulls.

Liz Wheeler, RSPCA inspector, said: “We see this kind of thing happening all the time during the summer months.

“People put netting on their rooftops to deter birds from nesting but it’s often not put up properly causing birds to become trapped and to suffer. “It is an offence to intentionally trap wild birds like gulls, so we are asking people to be mindful of their actions and make sure that if they do use netting, they install it correctly and regularly check and maintain it.

“We spend all summer getting trapped gulls out of roof netting and it’s easily avoidable.”

Gulls and their nests are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and it is illegal to intentionally kill, take or injure wild birds