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A badger has been rescued after it got stuck in a wheelie bin.

A couple found the stricken animal in the bin on Thursday morning in Crewkerne, Somerset, when they went to put the rubbish out.

An RSPCA spokesperson said they believed it may have become trapped while it was looking for food.

The creature was uninjured and was taken to West Hatch Wildlife Centre in Taunton. It is due to be released back into the wild over the weekend.

'Quite a fright'

RSPCA animal collection officer, Clara Scully, who was called out to the incident in a garden in Beechwood Drive, said the badger may have been hunting for a meal.

"There was garden equipment that had been knocked over behind the bin and it was stored beside a shed," she said.

"I think the badger had run along the back of the shed and, searching for food, either fell into the bin while following his nose, or tried to climb down onto it and slipped.

"I think [the couple] had quite a fright when they peered in and saw him staring back up at them, covered in waste."