A YOUNG swan has been rescued after getting blown up onto a balcony in strong winds and injuring its wing.

The male cygnet was found by the owner of a flat in Newport Street, Worcester, on Monday morning, who then called Wychbold Swan Rescue.

Jan Harrigan, founder of WSR, said the young bird had had a “lucky escape” and explained uneducated swans will often struggle in such weather.

Rescuer John Stewart said he was called to the scene at around 9.50am and was able to bring the swan down using the building’s lift.

Back at her swan hospital, Mrs Harrigan said on Tuesday: “He’s got one small wound under a wing, but he’s got away with it. He’s had a lucky escape.”

“The [property owner] had been away for 24 hours, but whether he had failed to notice him out there before, I don’t know.

“We’ll keep him here until he’s fit and well and make sure he is healthy enough to take him back out.

“We always get a lot of birds here, he will go out with the cygnets and other swans he’s grown up with.”

There have been several road accidents involving swans in and around Worcester Bridge, which Mrs Harrigan said is “bound to happen” so close to the River Severn.

“This wind doesn’t help, particularly for a young inexperienced bird,” she continued. “It’s like flying an umbrella, the wind gets right under those big wings. It causes them a problem because they don’t know how to deal with it.”

At the start of last month, an adult swan was hit by a car, also on Newport Street, and rushed to Mrs Harrigan’s hospital with severe injuries but unfortunately died.

Referring to the cygnet rescued on Monday, she said: “He is one of last year’s babies. He should’ve left home in September or October, but some do hang on a bit longer.

“Of course, the season will be starting again soon, which means there will be a lot of young swans learning to fly. It unfortunately means there will be some who lose their lives.”