TRIXIE the terrier found herself in a tight spot after doing what terriers are born to do – chase rabbits with no thought for life or limb.

Dashing helter skelter after a rabbit at The Biblins near Symonds Yat, Trixie climbed a 50 metre cliff face and found herself on a ledge about 20 metres above the ground.

It was enough to put an abrupt end to Trixie's chase, and resulted in a total of 27 firefighters swarming to the rescue from Coleford, Hereford and Worcestershire.

In all, three rope rescue appliances arrived at the scene including the cliff rescue team from Coleford, along with a local vet and the dogs worried owners. They all spent the better part of Sunday evening (July 3) either at the bottom of the cliffs looking up or making the tricky descent down to the stranded dog.

It was crew manager, Lee Harris, who abseiled down the cliff face to Trixie and was able to reassure her and make sure she was safe before putting her in a cliff rescue equipment bag which was lowered to the foot of the Seven Sisters. Although hungry and dehydrated, Trixie was uninjured.

Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service manager, Simon McMillan, said: "Rescuing and animal that may be injured or just very scared is always a delicate operation there's very little lateral movement because there's so much vegetation.

"The cliff rescue team specialises in rescues like this and I'm please that in this case, Trixie managed to escape uninjured."

It's been confirmed the rabbit also escaped unhurt.

•It was a busy weekend for the Forest's cliff rescue teams. Earlier on Sunday (July 3) the team from Lydney were called to rescue a woman climber who had fallen about 50 feet down one of the cliffs at Wintours Leap, Broadoak, near Woodcroft.

The woman who suffered injuries and was lapsing in and out of consciousness was carried to safety and airlifted to hospital by air ambulance.