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Battered Portland beach.

A plucky razorbill bird has had an amazing escape after it was found trapped inside a wire cage that makes up sea defences having been washed into by the recent storms.

The helpless sea bird was swept into the gabion - a large cage filled with rocks and shingle to stabilise the shoreline - by powerful 30ft waves.

Wildlife volunteers found it wedged inside as they picked up about 100 dead sea birds that had died as a result of the winter storms from off the beach at Chiswell Cove, Portland, Dorset.

The puffins, guillemots, razorbills and kittiwakes have perished because heavy seas have meant they have been unable to hunt for fish.

The stranded razorbill was found alive from the gabion and taken to an RSPCA centre to recuperate.

Angela Thomas, an assistant warden at the Chesil Bank and Fleet Nature Reserve, said: "The force of the waves had emptied the shingle from the metal cage, but somehow a razorbill had become trapped inside.

"It was hard to get it out, it would not have escaped without our help, so we're glad we managed to spot it."