Five ducklings were rescued from a storm train after being tempted out by officers playing duck sounds on their mobile phones.

The five tiny ducklings, thought only to be around a week old, got trapped as they tried to follow their mother across a road in Pontypridd, Wales.

The mother managed to walk over the grate and climb into a hedge, but her offspring fell through it into the drain below.

They were spotted by a motorist who called the RSPCA, who then teamed up with firefighters for what turned into a two-hour rescue mission.

The ducklings were eventually tempted out with the help of duck noises played on their rescuers' mobile phones, enabling them to reach them.

RSPCA inspector Sophie Daniels paid tribute to firefighters from Pontypridd Fire and Rescue Stations, who were called out to help lift the drain and refused to give up until the ducklings were rescued.

She said: "These sorts of rescues take time and require patience because the ducklings can disappear along connecting side pipes, which is what they kept doing, so we got out our mobile phones and started playing duck sounds to try and entice them back into the main chamber where I could reach them.

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"We were there for a good couple of hours, but the firefighters were absolutely determined to get them all out.

"The drain was too heavy for me to lift on my own, and it’s quite a fast country road, so their support was fantastic."

The ducklings will now stay in RSPCA care before being transported to a local wildlife charity where they will remain until they are old enough to be released.