A stray dog which was trapped in waste destined for an incinerator narrowly evaded being singed.

Wensley a Shetland sheepdog was saved by a sharp-eyed crane operator, before any harm could be done. The dog had ended up at Eastcroft’s incinerator plant, Nottingham, after running away from his owners days earlier. Mr and Mrs. Bladen are delighted to finally be reunited with their lost pet.

Dorothy Bladon was walking her dog around Bridgford Park, before Wensley ran away for three days. It wasn’t until the crane worker caught sight of the dog buried in a heap of waste that it was finally tracked down.

“The more days that passed the more we thought we would never find him,” Mrs. Bladon said. “I was absolutely delighted when I heard he had been found and I cannot quite believe what he has been through, he is so lucky.”

At the plant, 160,000 tonnes of household waste is incinerated each year. In and among the rubbish, Wensley was to be loaded with it, ready to be blazed. However, a observant crane worker was able to sound the alarm and alert the local fire station to retrieve the dog.

Andy Lindley, the station manager, commented: “We are all really pleased that he appears to be unharmed by the experience and that the RSPCA has managed to reunite him with his owner. He had a very lucky escape.”

Coincidentally, Mr. and Mrs. Bladon were only briefly visiting the city from Liverpool. While they were at the park, an encounter with another dog sent Wensley running away. “I just let him off the lead for an extra run and a spaniel that was in the field ran at him,” Mrs. Bladon explained. “He got nervous and darted off.”

As yet, there is no clear indication as to how Wensley managed to find itself in the plant, and the waste container.