A red squirrel that became trapped in a manhole cover has been freed by firefighters in Germany, despite being “uncooperative” during its rescue.

The city fire department in Dortmund was alerted to the trapped animal by a pedestrian on Monday afternoon, after she spotted its head poking out in the road.

The squirrel was covered with a scarf to calm it down until a crew of firefighters arrived at the scene.

However, the rodent did not make life easy for the crew as they carefully tried to separate it from the plate.

The trapped squirrel was described as being 'uncooperative'
The trapped squirrel was described as being ‘uncooperative’ (Feuerwehr Dortmund)

“This turned out to be quite complicated as the squirrel was uncooperative,” the fire department said.

It took several attempts for the crew to free the squirrel before it fled up a nearby tree, appearing unharmed.

A similar rescue was required in the same city back in 2019, when firefighters, police and a veterinary clinic saved a red squirrel that got its head stuck in a manhole cover.

In a statement, the fire department said: “It could not be determined if it was the same squirrel that had to be rescued from the same situation four years ago.”

Red squirrels can be found across Europe and Asia and are thought to have lived in the UK for around 10,000 years, according to the Wildlife Trusts.