Firefighters rescued a wild deer which plunged into a swimming pool at a home in Turners Hill last night.

The residents were woken in the middle of the night by the sound of splashing and saw the deer.

Firefighters from East Grinstead, with back-up crew from Crawley and Storrington, arrived at the scene just before 1am.

The firemen believe the wild creature wandered in to the garden from nearby woods.

East Grinstead-based firefighter Al Green said: "It took us about half an hour to get the deer out using ropes and harnesses.

"The deer wasn't too distressed considering, just a little nervous, and was unharmed. It bolted back into the woods happily enough when we got it out."