People are being warned to ensure they dispose of litter correctly after a crow had to be rescued after getting tangled in string attached to the top of a tree.

The RSPCA has made the plea after the crow was found hanging upside down more than 30ft in the air in Croxley Green.

Animal collection officer Kate Wright was assisted by firefighters in the rescue of the bird which had managed to get the woolly string wrapped around its foot before getting snagged by a branch.

She said: “A couple saw this crow flapping upside-down from a branch in a tree at the back of their house. The bird had some sort of wool line around its foot and was caught on a branch. The bird was sometimes able to perch so may have gone unnoticed for some time.

“The crow was very high up so I contacted Hertfordshire Fire Service whose Watford White Watch quickly attended. The bird was attached to quite a wispy branch away from the main trunk of the tree so they would have been very tricky to rescue with a ladder.

“Thankfully the fire service had their ariel platform at a fairly nearby station. One of the fire officers and myself went up in the platform and had to break some of the branches to get into where the bird was stuck.”

Ms Wright added the crow did not sustain any “real damage” and is currently recovering.

She said: “I positioned my net underneath while he cut the line around the branch. The line was around his right foot and mostly around one toe.

“The crow is obviously quite tired but there doesn’t appear to be any real damage and he’s currently recovering at Bedfordshire Wildlife Rescue.

“I’m very thankful to the couple that spotted the crow and called for help and the fire service whose assistance was invaluable.”

The animal welfare charity is encouraging people to help wildlife by disposing of any little they may spot when out and about after it was revealed the RSPCA receives 14 calls a day about animals affected by litter.

Ms Wright added: "The RSPCA receives around 5,000 calls a year regarding litter. Unfortunately, wildlife is the main victim when it comes to these situations - wild birds in particular.