WHISKY and coffee was used to revive a bull that had been trapped in a remote water-filled ditch on Sheppey.

Kent's only specialist animal rescue unit hoisted the stricken animal at Kings Hill Farm on Elmley Marshes. The unit is based at Faversham fire station and one of the crew who attended was sub-officer Dan Upton.

He said: "Our specialist Mercedes Uni-Mog off-road vehicle came into its own because it was able to cross fields to get to the bull due to its high clearance and big wheels.

"There is a hydraulic crane on the top so we were able to lift the bull after carefully putting straps around it.

"The water safety unit from Whitstable fire station also attended because we needed to put on life-jackets and erect an inflatable platform to the bull which weighed just under a ton.

"It was the vet who recommended that whisky and coffee be given to the animal - and it certainly did the trick."