A hero rescuer swam through dirty water to save a cat that was stuck under a bridge.

The volunteer was called to the area after concerned locals spotted the moggie crying while clinging at the foot of a bridge in Chanthaburi province, Thailand on January 24.

He and colleagues dropped a rope down from the bridge before one of them wore a harness and jumped into the dirty water.

Footage shows the volunteer climbing down the bridge and wading through the canal to reach the orange cat. He then placed the animal inside a net before his colleagues pulled it up.

Resident Suchart Kwanjai said: 'We wanted to help the cat but we thought it was dangerous to go down so we called the rescuers for help. They are always good at doing their job, we are so grateful.'

The volunteers then checked the animal for injuries but it had none so they gave it some food and water before taking it to a local animal shelter.

One of the volunteers said: 'We had to climb down as the spot where the cat was trapped was too deep. Luckily the locals found the cat before it was too late. Now it would have a home.'