A cat escaped death by a whisker after getting his head wedged in a tin of pet food.

The animal's curiosity had almost got the better of him when he was spotted stumbling along Elm Drive, Hove.

A worried neighbour called the RSPCA when she realised he was having trouble breathing.

Steve Wickham, an animal collection officer, found the petrified puss cowering under a car.

He took him to Hove fire station where officers carefully drilled breathing holes before gently cutting away the tin.

The moggy, nicknamed Tin Tin, is now being cared for at Coastway Veterinary Surgery in Montague Place, Brighton.

A spokeswoman said: "He is almost completely feral so we think he is almost certainly a stray.

"If nobody claims him, the RSPCA will try to find him a new home on a farm where he can continue to live outside."