Paddleboarders rescue newborn calf from Somerset river

A newborn calf was transported along a river on a paddleboard after falling into the water.

The baby bull, which was just hours old, fell into the River Parrett in Somerset on Sunday and was rescued by a paddleboarder who pulled him aboard.

Despite initially jumping back into the river, the calf eventually stayed on the board for an hour and 45 minutes to travel a mile or so.

Named Splash he has been successfully reunited with his mother.

"It was really panicking. Just its head and shoulders were out of the water, and it was trying to clamber climb back up but that part of the bank is a sheer face," said Vicky Hamilton, who came across the calf in the water near Langport.

"After having to hold on to stinging nettles so the board didn't move, I somehow managed to scoop it up on to the board. I don't know how, maybe adrenaline kicked in?"

However the confused calf did not realise it was being rescued.

Miss Hamilton and her sister-in-law Michelle Brown, who had been enjoying a paddle after their lunch, watched in dismay as it leapt back into the water at the first chance.

"It swam to the edge, realised it couldn't get out and then tried to get back on the board.

"I got him back on, I think he knew he was safe then - he wouldn't get off," she said.

Following calls to a vet and Langport Town Council, the farmer was located and he came to meet them at a pontoon.

"They checked to see if he could suckle his mum, and that was fine," said Miss Hamilton.

"It wouldn't have sat right with either of us to have paddled past him. It's just a little baby isn't it? It did feel good."