RESCUERS didn't flap about when they spotted 12 ducklings trapped down a roadside drain.
Grace Stainforth, 14, of Grimsby, was on her paper round with her mum, dad and sister, when she noticed a duck and a duckling wandering around Abbey Road.
She immediately thought it was strange that they were so far away from People's Park and wanted to make sure they were both safe.
She said: "My dad picked up the duckling and handed it to me – hoping the mother duck would follow and we could take them to the park.
"However, she just wandered back to a drain on the roadside.
"My dad could hear some quiet cheeping elsewhere and when he looked down the drain he spotted the rest of the ducklings."
The family did not want to leave them there so instead rang the RSPCA for help.
Inspector Keith Ellis attended but was unable to remove the drain grille himself and called the fire service.
So firefighters from the Peaks Lane station joined in the rescue mission.
White watch manager Terry Taylor said: "We were able to use our tools to lift up the drain and gain access to the ducklings.
"We tried to do it as calmly as possible so as not to scare them as they could have easily escaped further along the drain pipe.
"If that had happened then we could have been pulling up all the drains down the road to find them.
"We helped fish the ducklings out one by one and put them into a basket provided by the RSPCA.
"It took us about 45 minutes to get all 12 ducklings out of the drain.
"The RSPCA called us for assistance and Grace's family did the right thing to get in touch with the animal experts first before trying to rescue the ducklings themselves.
"I have had first hand experience at how dangerous even drains can be as I chopped off the tip of my finger in one when younger."
Mr Ellis said: "Sadly every year we receive a number of calls regarding ducklings falling down drains.
"They are just so tiny that they simply fall through the grilles.
"I'm really grateful to the family for spotting what had happened and waiting until help arrived."
Grace is pleased all the ducklings were removed safely following Sunday's rescue drama.
She said: "I raced to People's Park afterwards to help Mr Ellis release them all."
ON THE WEB: Visit www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk/pets4you for the latest news from local animal rescue centres.
