A VET involved in a major animal rescue following a fatal car crash on the A5 was proud to be shortlisted for a prestigious award.

John Blackwell, director at Brownlow Veterinary Group in Ellesmere and senior vice-

president of the British Veterinary Association, worked as part of the recovery team in 2010 after a head-on smash near Chirk left a cattle wagon hanging on the edge of a 140ft drop, with four cows falling to their deaths.

He was one of the vets shortlisted for Vet of the Year at the star-studded Animal Hero Awards 2016, hosted by the RSPCA and the Daily Mirror.

After the crash, which killed two people, John worked overnight with colleagues to humanely euthanise injured animals and rescue those who could be saved.

He had to euthanise 17 animals in the container and removed 15 more to safety, while others were destroyed by police firearms as it was unsafe for the vets to access the animals given the position of the vehicle.

“I will openly admit that at the end of the tragedy I was both physically and emotionally wrecked,” he said, adding: “but I had confidently carried out my role in liaison with the incident command and the police officers in attendance.”

Mr Blackwell, who lives in Burlton, near Wem, with wife Julie and two daughters, also works with the British Animal Rescue and Trauma Care Association (BARTA), which aims to educate those involved in animal rescue.

He added: “For BARTA, the long- term vision is to create a network of suitably trained veterinary surgeons who can be readily accessed by the emergency services when incidents, large or small, arise.

“If you think of our medical colleagues and the standardised approach to human casualties offered by medical professionals, you can see what BARTA is aiming to achieve.”

John and his colleagues at BARTA have developed a training programme for vets which will soon be available.

The programme comprises online learning mixed with classroom-based scenario discussion groups that will equip vets with the skills to work effectively as part of the incident command system.