A live pheasant was rescued after spending a full 24 hours trapped inside a car's radiator grill - and astonishingly emerged completely unscathed.

The bird hitched a ride after the car's owner spotted it on the road and braked, only to see nothing when she got out.

Thinking it had flown off, she carried on driving.

Hours later, a colleague noticed the pheasant wedged in the car's front grill.

After failing to free it herself, the woman, who was not named, took the vehicle to a local garage in Bourton-on-the-Water, where staff were left stunned by the unusual passenger.

Lucy McDonagh, 44, filmed the rescue as her husband and garage owner James Collett, 59, carefully removed the feathered stowaway.

Lucy, from Northleach, Gloucestershire, said: "She [the customer] couldn't get it out herself and it was hissing at her."

"The staff popped the car on the MOT ramp and slowly dismantled the engine under tray to reach the pheasant. "

"It took about 15 minutes to get to it. "

"Somehow, it was absolutely fine - not a feather out of place!"

"She's a very regular customer and, of course, as a garage trading 104 years in the same village there was no charge made to her for the rescue."

"We placed it in a box and then the lady offered to go and release it by Hawkstones Brewery."