An animal rescue involving some toasty firefighters and a hot Chocolate has taken place in Liss Forest.

On-call firefighters from Petersfield rescued a donkey called Chocolate from a muddy pit off Mint Road in blistering temperatures last Wednesday, June 24.

Animal rescue crews from Lyndhurst and Winchester joined the 5pm operation to rescue the 20-year-old donkey, which was stuck up to her belly in mud, during the height of last week’s heatwave.

“Chocolate was assessed by a vet before being escorted back to her enclosure where she was reunited with friends,” said a spokesperson for Hampshire Fire & Rescue.

The crews returned to their stations shortly after 7pm having been served a useful reminder not to leave Chocolate out in the sun.