A dolphin who ended up stranded in a Kent town more than one-and-a-half miles from the coast has been saved after a dramatic rescue mission.

Faversham residents were concerned to spot the young marine mammal stuck in shallow, muddy waters far from his ocean home.

Nicknamed Brian, he is thought to have got lost in the Thames Estuary, swimming upstream before finding himself in the mouth of a creek.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service was called, and worked with volunteers from the British Diver Marine Life Rescue to move Brian out of the water and on to a specialist truck.

Images from the shore show the team of rescuers wading in the waist-high water as they scoop the dolphin from the water using tarpaulin.

Sheila Stone from the diving unit told the Mirror: ‘We think the male juvenile was chasing a salmon also seen in the waters and got himself into trouble.’

Assisted by police, they then drove to Harty Ferry coastal point on the Thames Estuary and released him.

The Kent Fire and Rescue Service wrote on Twitter: ‘Crews from the animal rescue unit and the water safety unit attended, as well as one fire engine and British Diver Marine Life Rescue.

‘Wearing drysuits, the team worked together to move the dolphin onto the animal rescue unit vehicle by using mud paths.

‘With the animal safely on-board, the crew headed to Harty Ferry coastal point, assisted by Kent Police and released it back into the wild.’

The fire service also updated residents on the dolphin’s happy ending.

They wrote on Facebook: ‘We’re pretty sure this young dolphin didn’t get stuck in shallow water in Faversham on porpoise, but it did need a helping fin from our crews.

‘After being checked over, the dolphin was released back into the water and swam off happily.’

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