Two fire crews and a police helicopter were involved in the attempted rescue of a trapped cow in Rainham – but it turned out the poor animal wasn’t stuck after all.

The unfortunate bovine was spotted by the crew of a Met helicopter searching for a missing person over Coldharbour Lane earlier this afternoon. Believing the cow to be stuck in mud, officers in the air alerted the fire brigade at about 12.50pm, who sent out two engines, including one from Hornchurch, and 10 firefighters.

But all was not as it seemed. “The cow wasn’t really stuck – it was injured,” one firefighter told the Recorder. “It had possibly got caught up in some barbed wire. The owner turned up and it was left with him.”

Sadly, firefighters believe the cow – which was described as brown with white mottling – will have to be put down because of the extent of its injuries.

The missing person has not been found and the search is continuing.

Did you witness the incident, or do you know who owns the cow? Contact the news desk on 020 8477 3878 or e-mail news.desk@romfordrecorder.co.uk.