A STRANDED duckling was rescued by firefighters from a lake in Crystal Palace Park yesterday evening (June 28).

The fluffy animal was drifting in the middle of the lake after its legs had become ensnared in fishing line.

Worried RSPCA staff were forced to called the London Fire Brigade at around 6.45pm after failing to reach the distressed animal.

Three firefighters from Beckenham fire station used a boat to reach the young bird, which is thought to have been drifting for several hours.

After just under an hour at the scene, the duckling was returned safely to the RSPCA to be checked over by a vet.

A London Fire Brigade spokesman said: “If we hadn’t rescued the duckling it could have starved.

“It was one of our more unusual calls. Once we got out to the duck, we used a net to scoop it up and untie the fishing line.

“The duckling was quite quiet when we got it into the boat but when we handed it over to the RSPCA it looked like it was going to be fine.”