Two lambs were rescued by firefighters in Northern Ireland after they were discovered in a disused mine shaft.

The lambs had been missing and a specialist crew of firefighters worked with colleagues from Ballymoney fire station to retrieve the lambs from the shaft on farm land near Ballymena in Co Antrim.

The rescue took place on Friday 26 March and the lambs were returned to their owners.

“NIFRS would like to thank the lambs’ owners for showing restraint, not entering the mine shaft without proper equipment and calling the emergency services to perform the rescue,” a spokesperson for Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service said.

“We would like to remind the public of the dangers of entering disused mines or sub-surface work areas and advise people never to enter such locations.”