A bird rarely spotted on the Sussex coast was rescued after falling foul of the jaws of a neighbourhood cat.

The water rail, Rallus aquaticus, was rescued from the jaws of a moggie which had attacked it.

The bird, with a curved red bill, is resident to Britain but many more of them migrate to the Netherlands, Belgium and Scandinavia to escape the frozen waters.

The birds usually makes their way to other areas of Britain but this one may have ended up in Newhaven to escape the snow which has swept across the rest of the country.

Rescue officers Trevor Weeks and Lindy King, of the East Sussex Wildlife Rescue Ambulance Service, collected the bird on Thursday night from Newhaven and took it to the Pet Doctors vet clinic in the town.

The bird has been given antibiotics and may need treatment for an injured leg.

Mr Weeks said: "This is the first water rail we have ever had to rescue. You don't usually find them in this area."

If the bird makes a full recovery it will be released back into the wild.