Bully for Kirkwall! Kirkwall Scotland North Division RNLI lorry driver George Dadson became part of an unusual lifeboat crew at Kirkwall in the middle of October.

George had arrived at the station with his 17-ton truck to collect a boarding boat, which was hanging from the crane waiting for him.

While George, coxswain James Mitchell and mechanic Dupre Strutt discussed the best way to load the boat a commotion announced the arrival of a large, and unaccompanied bull.

The beast charged on to the quayside, and leapt over the edge, dropping 20ft into the harbour and setting off out to sea at a rate of knots.

Recovering from their surprise the three decided that the creature could be considered in distress, and abandoned all thoughts of loading the boat on the lorry.

Instead they hastily launched it again, and, armed with a rope grabbed from the lorry, the impromptu RNLI crew set off after the bull, which by now had cleared the harbour entrance and seemed intent on reaching the Shetlands under its own steam.

After the maritime equivalent of a wild west round-up the bull was lassoed, and towed back to the nearest land, where, with a bellow of disapproval, it clambered ashore and stood, says George,'looking surprised'.

A posse of local dock workers arrived to finish off the great Kirkwall round-up, armed with a cage mounted on a forklift truck.

The bull did finally make it out to sea by ferry that evening..