A CREW from Cumnock fire station had to answer an emoorgency call last week at an farm near Ochiltree.

Two cows had fallen through grating and plunged into a slurry tank, leading to the call for help from the concerned farmer, who had tried all he could to help them.

It happened just before noon on Saturday, when the two animals inadvertently fell through a gap in a grated walkway above the tank.

Alan Coughtrie, Scottish Fire and Rescue watch manager, said: “They landed in slurry which was five feet deep and this made the operation to rescue the cows quite challenging.

“We could not put one of the firefighters down there because of the suction properties of the slurry, which would mean there was a chance the crew member would get trapped as well.

“In addition, there is a build up of gases in slurry tanks which creates more problems, so we were going to have to work from above to carry out the rescue.” Using a combination of patience and improvisation, the crew helped the farmer nudge the cows towards a position where they could be safely lifted.

Mr Coughtrie said: “Using pieces of wood, and spraying our hoses, we persuaded them to move to where the farmer was able to get rope round them and rescued using his forklift truck.

“The operation, which lasted a few hours, went well as it was a huge area that we were working on, and the cows were tiring.

“We had called a vet to attend, just in case they may have to calm the cows down if they became distressed, as well as giving us guidance regarding their welfare.” Apart from that, the local fire brigade dealt with several minor incidents in the past few days.