A ROAD in Newtown was temporarily closed to allow rescuers to get to a seagull trapped in the roof of a building.

Traffic was halted on Longbridge Street in Newtown earlier today (Tuesday, July 25) to allow firefighters to get to the bird which had got stuck underneath a solar panel on the roof of the Ponthafren Association building.

The bird was first noticed by Benjamin Dearden, who works for Powys Animal Welfare, on Monday afternoon, who quickly contacted the relevant authorities.

County Times:

Mr Dearden said: “I first noticed the bird yesterday (Monday) evening as I was moving past the area. I could tell it was alive but clearly in distress. I initially thought it would be able to free itself but as more time went on I could tell it had become totally stuck.

“I rang the RSPCA but I already knew that any rescue attempt would be tough to orchestrate as the bird was in a hard and difficult location.

“I have to say I’m amazed and impressed with the work, the way that all these organisations have worked together to do something about this.

“It may just be one bird, but you can’t leave any animal in distress, people care about their wellbeing and they should not be left to suffer.”

County Times: A fire engine on Longbridge Street, preparing to close the route to facilitate the rescue.

The position of the building made a conventional rescue attempt difficult due to the steep river embankment on the side of the building, meaning the only way to access that side of the roof was from a structure mounted on the bridge.

Earlier today, the RSPCA and Mid and West Wales Fire Service got involved and transported a cherry picker from Aberystwyth that would allow rescue workers to free the bird.

The cherry picker was stationed on the bridge for an hour during the rescue, meaning the route from Newtown’s Broad Street had to be blocked for the rescue operation to be carried out.

The bird was then taken away to be checked over.