Firefighters rescued a cat trapped under a car engine on Frances Street in Woolwich.
Leading Firefighter Elliot Lister said "When we arrived, we assessed the scene and were shown some pictures that the Greenwich Wildlife Network had managed to take of the cat stuck in the car. We couldn't get underneath the car, or through the wheel arches. The kitten was running around at the bottom of the car’s engine plate, obviously scared."
"I was getting worried that we'd have to cut the car open or leave and hope that the kitten could find its own way out. Instead, we decided to try and jack the car up on one side so that we could lever the engine plate down and get the kitten out. Once we'd jacked up the car, we had to force the kitten over to one corner, when the worker from Greenwich Wildlife Network managed to grab it and retrieve it safely.
"When the kitten came out, I was really surprised at how small it was - it was about the size of an orange and was probably a newborn. I think that without our help, it was too young to have made its own way out of the car."
Polo, as named by Elliott and his team, was left in the care of Greenwich Wildlife Network, and has made a full recovery. The team believe that he had climbed into the car for warmth.
A spokesperson for London Fire Brigade added: "As we enter the winter months, we urge all vehicle owners to check their cars for animals before turning on their engines.
"Firefighters love animals and we are ready, willing and able to assist distressed or injured animals – the last thing we want is for people to put themselves at risk rescuing an animal themselves – but we do encourage people to call the RSPCA in the first instance and we will assist if our specialist equipment is required, as in this case.”
The Brigade was called at 2114 and the incident was over for firefighters by 2216. A crew from Plumstead Fire Station attended the scene.