The last duckling to be rescued. Credit: Croydon Council

A mother duck and her tiny 10 ducklings have been rescued from a council’s green roof on the hottest day of the year.

The family of ducklings and their mother were living on the fifth floor of Croydon council’s offices.

Members of the council spotted the ducks yesterday and put out trays of water to help hydrate them, as temperatures reached 33 degrees.

A volunteer from the Swan Sanctuary, a charity dedicated to care for swans and water birds, was called to the rescue too.

The mother and her nine ducklings were caught and put in a cage, but the last one went missing.

The mother and her nine ducklings. Credit: Croydon Council

Jill Small, one of the council’s customer service advisers, said: “The last duckling proved more elusive, but after we brought the mother out in her cage the youngster immediately broke cover so we could reunite it with its family.

“I’m sure none us had any idea what we would be doing with our lunch hour when we came into work today – but it’s great this story had a happy ending.”

You can watch the video of the rescue here