A soot-covered owl was rescued over Christmas after getting stuck inside a log burner at a holiday home.

The tenants raised the alarm after hearing “scratching” inside the flue which went on for two days.

A pest control expert and log burner specialist went to the historic property in Upwey, Weymouth, Dorset to investigate. They expected to find a jackdaw but after dismantling the stove discovered a Tawny owl covered in soot near the bottom of the 15ft flue.

After 15 minutes of trying, they managed to get hold of the owl’s talons and carefully pull it down.

The owl had its eyes closed from the soot, which had hidden its brown-grey feathers.

The soot was washed out of its eyes and it is being nursed back to health by a local wildlife conservationist.

Kenny Best, of Best Pest Control, carried out the rescue of the owl – now named Sooty – alongside Richie Gray, of Log Burners Dorset.

Mr Best said: “The holiday homes company had tenants in the property over Christmas who said they could hear scratching in the flue for a couple of days.

“They called me and I went along thinking it would be a jackdaw, and because it was a log burner, I called Richie to help. It is an out of commission log burner in a historic property.

“We had to dismantle the stove and then I saw this pair of feet and thought: ‘That’s not a jackdaw’.

“We spent around 15 minutes trying to get a hold of its feet – they have got big talons – and then we managed to pull it down.”

Derek Davey, the wildlife conservationist, said: “The owl came in at the start of the week after being rescued from a long burner flue.

“It was covered in soot and could not open its eyes, but after a good clean up and eye wash it’s looking a lot happier and eating well.”

The Tawny owl, Latin name Strix aluco, is a nocturnal woodland hunter, with a rounded head, large dark eyes and a hooked beak.