EMERGENCY services had to rescue a seagull which had become impaled on the roof of a church.

The bird was left trapped on the roof of St John’s Church in Palmeira Square, Hove, after its wing was impaled on a spike.

The RSPCA called the fire service who attended with a cherrypicker in order to release the distressed bird.

A crowd gathered as they watched the firefighters work to rescue the gull and police had been called to direct traffic around the scene.

A cheer went up as the firefighter eventually managed to release the seagull and left it in the care of the RSPCA. 

Paul Collingwood, from Brighton, managed to capture the dramatic rescue on video.