A young swan was back afloat today after being saved by two passers-by.

Anne Pringle and her boyfriend Rupert Curtis, who live at Osney, Oxford, were out for an evening walk along the River Thames off Botley Road when they noticed the four-month-old cygnet in distress.

The bird had become entangled in a fishing line, swallowed the weights and was slowly drowning. Anne dashed off to phone the RSPCA and returned to help Rupert pull the injured bird to the bank.

The couple then loaded the cygnet into their car and took it to the Beaumont veterinary surgery in Botley Road for treatment.

Twenty-four hours later, they returned to the vet to give the story a happy ending.

They collected the cygnet, now fully recovered, and released it back on the river. Anne, who works at Hartwells, the Botley Road car dealers, said: "Our main concern was that the swan was OK. It was a wonderful feeling to see the cygnet glide off across the water in fine fettle once more."

Albert Honey, animal welfare officer for Thames Valley Police, praised the couple as courageous.

"A lot of people are frightened that swans will injure them and won't go near them," he said. "They have soft bills but can cause damage with their wings.

"This couple acted courageously in going to the lengths they did to save the bird."

Mr Honey said discarded fishing line was a continual threat to swans and the problem could get worse with more young anglers out during the school summer holidays.

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