A horse stranded 1.2 meters (4ft) below a river embankment in Staffordshire has been rescued.

Multiple crews, including animal rescue and water rescue teams, were called to land off Ingestre, Trent Lane, near Stafford, just before 09:45 GMT on Wednesday.

The fire department said rescue efforts took several hours and crews left the scene shortly before 2:30 p.m.

They said they found the exhausted animal trapped in silt in about a meter (3 ft) of water.

The horse was taken to safety using special equipment and checked at the scene by a veterinarian.

The fire brigade added that the animal was later returned to the stables and will be kept under control in the coming days.