Animal rescuers chased a swan along a suburban street to reunite her with her injured mate.

The drama came after a male swan, or cob, was spotted with a damaged wing at Egerton Park in Bexhill.

Concerned members of the public alerted animal experts from the East Sussex Wildlife Rescue Ambulance Service.

Rescue officer Trevor Weeks caught the bird and took it to VetCall in Montague Place, Kemp Town, Brighton.

Vets decided the wing could not be repaired and had to be amputated.

However, as the operation progressed, the team realised they would have to reunite the injured bird with his mate and their cygnet or they could pine away.

But when the team returned to the lake the female swan, or pen, took flight and they had to chase it along a street before it was captured.

Mr Weeks said of the cob: "Usually he would have been taken to the National Swan Sanctuary in Egham, Surrey, but it is closed to admissions because part of the Thames is iced over.

"It's quite an unusual operation for a vet to do."

When the cob woke up yesterday his partner and offspring were waiting to be reunited as a family.

Mr Weeks said of the birds: "You are not supposed to separate swans. They get very stressed and it's best they stay together."

The family is being moved to the National Swan Sanctuary, where they will live.