A tawny owl is on the mend after remarkably surviving a night trapped in a log burner.

RSPCA officer Thea Kerrison was amazed when she opened the doors of a log burner at a home in Bromyard on Saturday morning (June 30) and saw a fully grown tawny owl staring back at her.

Sitting in ashes, the soot-covered owl appeared unfazed by the ordeal and was soon taken to Vale Wildlife Hospital in Tewkesbury for a much-needed bath and health check.

It is hoped the nocturnal bird will be released within the next few days.

See this week’s Hereford Times for the full story.