A plucky kitten which had got herself wedged 8ft up a chimney was freed after a four-hour rescue operation between the RSPCA and Merseyside Fire Service.

Lola’s worried owner contacted the RSPCA after hearing the kitten making noises inside the chimney.

She had not long been adopted by her owner and, feeling timid in her new home, sought a place to hide - behind the fireplace.

“From there, she had somehow managed to climb inside the chimney - about 8ft up it,” said RSPCA Animal Welfare Officer Matt Brown, who went to rescue Lola from the house in Fairfield Drive, in Liverpool, on Friday (16 June).

“We got the call at 8.30am and we finally managed to free her at 12.30pm. By the time we got her out, we were completely covered in soot - but getting her safely freed was worth a dirty uniform! She came out looking bedraggled and dazed.

“Lola had been trapped up there for four days. Her owner initially thought she had gone missing - but it wasn’t until she heard her crying that she realised she was inside the chimney.

“We had to devise a plan to get her free, so at first we climbed up on the roof and were poking rods down to see if it would help her get down. When they didn’t work, we took the fireplace off and, using long poles, managed to free her. It took some time but it was definitely a worthy job. We were all so pleased to have her free.”

Lola was taken to the RSPCA’s Greater Manchester Animal Hospital, where she will be checked over, microchipped and neutered before going back to her new home.

“It was a different sort of job that I am used to - it just goes to show how varied a day in the life of an RSPCA inspector can be.”

The rescue was filmed by Channel 5’s The Kitten Rescuers, and will feature on the show later this year.

To help the RSPCA rescue animals like Lola, text LOVE to 87023 to give £3 (text costs £3 + one standard network rate message) or visit www.rspca.org.uk/givehttp://www.rspca.org.uk/give.