EXPERT divers put their skills to good use when they rescued a duck stranded on an icy pond in Kidderminster.

Samantha Wills, of Stourbridge Road, was visiting Springfield Park with her niece and nephew when they spotted the bird trapped in the middle of the pond next to the children's play area.

Many residents had failed to free the duck as they waited for the RSPCA and Swan Rescue to arrive last Thursday.

A member of Haden Hill Sub Aqua club in Halesowen, Samantha contacted her 66-year-old father, Dennis, who arrived minutes later with rope and dry suits specially designed for cold water diving.

Miss Wills, 35, who recently returned from a conservation diving trip in Mexico, said: "The duck had been stuck for hours and everyone was concerned that he would die if left for the night. I popped back a little later and he was being picked on by the swans.

"I called my father, as both of us are members of Haden Hill Sub Aqua Club in Halesowen, and he came down with our dry suits. We roped up and slowly got into the pool, breaking the ice as we went."

The drama attracted a crowd of people in the Broadwaters park as the brave pair waded into the icy water with buoyancy aids to rescue the stranded bird.

Miss Wills added: "It was deep and very silty and though we freed the duck once, he soon became stuck again.

"After another attempt to break the ice and make a clear path for the duck, he finally managed to get into the open water and escape.

"I've just returned from five weeks in Mexico so this was a lot colder than I've been used to recently. It was quite strange to go from monitoring the coral reef to saving ducks."

An RSPCA press spokeswoman said the incident had been investigated on Thursday and the following morning but no cause for concern had been seen.