MOUNTAIN rescuers had a surprise celebrity encounter on Monday when they were called to help in the search for a missing dog.

‘Tiger’, who was stuck on a steep part of Haystacks, turned out to belong to comedian Bill Bailey.

The TV star contacted Cockermouth Mountain Rescue Team, after getting the number from a local farmer, although the team had no idea who the caller was until they attended the scene.

MORE TOP STORIES:

Thirty team members searched for Tiger, who they described as “a rather clever and crafty creature who led us on quite a merry dance around the hills above Buttermere.”

Team Leader Mike Park eventually reunited the dog with his grateful owner.

Cockermouth Mountain Rescue Team are regularly called out to rescue sheep stranded on ledges on crags, and have also been called to rescue dogs, goats, a raven and even a horse that was stuck in boggy ground.