Firefighters may be used to rescuing cats from trees - but have you ‘herd’ the one about the cow sinking in estuary mud!

While they have been known to save the odd horse that has wondered into outdoor swimming pools, there were definitely no ‘calf’ measures when it came to pulling out ‘Sally the Cow’.

Using the what3words geocode emergency system, crews rushed to the River Usk embankment on Newhouse Farm Industrial Estate in Chepstow on Monday night to find ’Sally’ up to her chest in ooozing mud.

Rescuers from Chepstow and Bridgend fire stations had to wade into the thick mud with specialist equipment, and spent much of the night working to free her before finally re-moo-ving her to dry ground and safety.

Without the efforts of the fire crews, one ‘sh-udders’ to think what might have happened to poor old Sally.

One punter who posted on the South Wales Fire and rescue Service’s facebook page, said: “Well done all, I bet she’ll be milking this story for years.”

An SWFRS spokesperson said: “This was a challenging rescue for our crews, requiring strategic planning and specialist equipment, but we’re pleased to announce that Sally is now safe and has been returned to the herd.”

The what3words system is a free location technology app that has divided the whole world into 57 trillion 3m x 3m squares and assigned each one a three-word address: a what3words address.

It is used by more than 85 per cent of UK emergency services and is available in no less than 51 languages.