Trapped dog alive in badger sett

A special licence was granted to dig into the sett

A five-year-old dachshund is recovering after surviving six days trapped in a badger sett.

Lucy was out with her owners at Burley in the New Forest, Hampshire, when she went to explore the sett and disappeared 8ft (2.4m) down.

Her owners John and Janet West, from Burley, heard a faint whimper coming from the sett after she had been missing for five days.

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service used a mechanical digger to rescue the dog.

'Wagging tail'

Specialist crews used listening equipment and a snake-eye camera to examine the network of tunnels, but at first they could find no sign of the sausage dog when she disappeared on 24 October.

They were granted a specialist licence to dig into the sett when she was heard five days later.

Lucy suffered a bald head from burrowing and was given a clean bill of health from a vet.

Mrs West said: "I saw her little nose pop out, she shook her head and crawled out of the hole. She saw us and her tail started wagging."