LIFE was not going swimmingly for a group of swans that became stuck in thick ice on a Worcester canal.
One eyewitness said members of the Swan Study Group had to break the ice with poles in order to free the birds trapped near the Commandery lock on New Year's Day.
The man, who asked not to be named, said the group made small holes for the swans to move around in and then fed them pieces of bread.
Jan Harrigan, founder of Worcestershire's Swan Rescue Centre, said members of the group contacted her after the incident to say the birds were safe.
But she denied they were trapped.
"Swans have to live out of doors and as long as they have got plenty of food they can cope," she said.
"There wasn't a problem."
Staff at the rescue centre, based in Wychbold, are currently caring for 120 swans injured on waterways across the county.
n A swan stuck in thick ice near the canal lock at the Commandery.
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