Wigan walking group rescue sheep stuck in the canal

Martin Cunningham, Gary Smith, Kyle Clayton, Martin Foy, Neil Cheetham and Gerry Glover were walking to Chorley along the Leeds Liverpool Canal when they noticed the animals on the tow path off Pennington Lane.

However, as the nine sheep decided to cross the frozen water disaster struck as the ice gave way underneath them.

Martin said: “We noticed them try to walk across but they went straight through it.

"We managed to drag two of them out as they were at the side closest to the path.

"The other seven were on the other side of the bank where there is no path.”

It took the group around an hour and a half to rescue the remaining sheep, with two of them being completely stuck.

Pictures and video footage shows the group doing whatever they can to rescue the sheep.

Martin said: “We were running around knocking on farm house doors and some of them said it’s not our sheep or just simply weren’t interested.

"We were running through fields jumping over barbed wired fences until we found the farmer.

"We managed to get five of them out but two of them were completely stuck.

"Luckily we were able to eventually pull the others to safety.

"Five of them were walking around in the sun fine but two of them were frozen stiff and unable to move.

"The farmer said he’d doubt those two would make it through the night.”