A YOUNG angler swung into action and called Swan Rescue when he spotted a majestic bird in distress in a pool at Witley.

The swan had strong fishing line around its beak, which was cutting in, and there was also line around its neck.

A Swan Rescue spokesman said: "Our thanks to the fire crew and the young angler who called us and stopped his fishing to assist us."

The team managed to capture the swan, but it is not yet clear whether there will be a happy outcome.

The line has now been removed; but an x-ray has been taken of the swan to make sure it had not swallowed a hook, and the outcome of a blood test of also awaited.

In feeding, swans are apt to swallow any discarded lead shot, used as fishing weights; and while larger shot made of lead has been banned, this is not true of the smaller sizes, size 8 and below.

These are the the so-called "dust shots", and they are used mainly in delicate float-fishing rigs.

A Swan Rescue spokesperson said of the problem with swans getting caught up in fishing line: "We get so much of it. I spend half my life getting fishing off swans, It is a bit sickening, really.

"You get good anglers who care, and those who do not care."

Concerning the rescued swan, the spokesperson said: "We are just trying to do the best we can."

The test currently being carried out on the swan will reveal, in a few days, whether or not it is suffering from blood or lead poisoning.

She added that the fishing line had "cut into the side of its mouth".