THE RSPCA has rescued and released a fox which had become trapped down in an old cellar in York.

The charity say a passerby spotted the fox and contacted them for help on Monday, October 12.

The poor fox had fallen down a lightwell and got himself stuck in an old cellar which was no longer in use since the building in Museum Street was converted into flats. 

RSPCA Inspector Thomas Hutton, who rescued the fox, said: “He must have fallen down the lightwell at the front of the building which was about a 15ft drop and he was unable to get back out. The passerby said they spotted the fox trying to jump onto a windowsill but falling repeatedly back down so this poor fella really needed help.

“The access to the cellar isn’t used anymore since it was converted to flats which meant I had to crawl through the old cellar to access the fox. Thankfully, he wasn’t injured and generally in a good condition so I contained him and brought him safely back up to street level.

“I took him to a quiet spot nearby at Museum Gardens and released him back into the wild immediately.”

To help the RSPCA keep rescuing animals and continue our vital work through these unprecedented times, please donate whatever you can spare at www.rspca.org.uk/covid