An exhausted sheep who was discovered wedged in a bog near Llanidloes has been rescued unharmed by an animal charity.

The four-year-old ewe was found in a bog hole in Pantmawr, Llangurig with her legs and body completed submerged by the mud, and may have been there several days according to RSPCA inspector Phil Lewis, who pulled the sheep to safety with the help of the passer-by who phoned the incident in.

"This poor sheep was completed covered by the bog and was unable to move. We’re not sure how long she had been there, but it may have been a day or two," he said.

"She must have fallen down, she may have been looking for water."

The messy rescue involved Inspector Lewis scooping out mud from under the sheep to release the suction on her legs in order to pull her to safety.

The local farmer was notified about the sheep, who was able to collect her later, although the RSPCA say there are a number of wild sheep in the area.

"We had to lie down and with our arms under the bog we managed to release the suction of the mud and scoop the sheep out above the bog hole," added Lewis.

"It was quite a challenge with a lot of pushing a pulling and it did take a couple of hours and I would really like to thank the caller for helping me.

"The sheep was understandably exhausted as she would have been trying to free itself for such a long time. But despite her ordeal, she was uninjured and just needed some food and water.”

RSPCA Cymru say anyone who spots an animal in distress should call the RSPCA’s 24-hour helpline on 0300 1234 999.