A pooch owner has spoken of his family's joy at the return of their pet who had been trapped for several days underground.

Simon Taylor from Kent recently told how mutt Vinnie vanished into a badger sett in Southborough Common for six days, the BBC reports.

Shortly after the Welsh terrier's disappearance, the worried owner called the fire service, which used thermal cameras in an attempt to locate the animal.

However, the search proved fruitless and Mr Taylor asked nearby construction workers to look out for Vinnie before he returned home.

Nearly a week after he ran into the sett, the builders stumbled on the dog who was returned to his owner.

Mr Taylor told the paper: "He was absolutely filthy. My wife burst into tears and the children also broke down, we couldn't believe he had come back after all this time."

Meanwhile, a pooch from Cambridgeshire needed assistance from the emergency services after she got trapped under a pigeon coop for six hours.