He thought he was making a run for freedom when he managed to escape from his cage. It is thought he slipped through a grating, and he became trapped down a manhole.

Christina Griffiths, of Kirknewton Close in Houghton, bought her three-year-old son Stewart the guinea pig four months ago.

But when Stewart let him out of his cage, the pesky pet did a runner and escaped under the fence.

"We saw him scarper off under a car down the road and we just couldn't catch him," Christina, 28, said.

"We thought he'd gone when a few days later some kids knocked on the door and said the guinea pig was down a drain round the corner."

"We tried quite a few times to get him out but we just couldn't catch him," Christina said.

But housing group gentoo came to the rescue and pulled Paul to safety.

"We were absolutely over the moon when we got him back and Stewart was so excited," Christina said.

"We didn't think we were going to see him alive again. I honestly thought that was it.

"He seems OK now but I keep checking on him.

"He's quite withdrawn and definitely needs fattening up because he's not eating as well as we'd like him to."

"We took him food and put it down the hole while he was down there so he could eat and some of the kids round here did the same so he wouldn't get hungry but he's still very thin."

Ian Porter, managing director of gentoo Sunderland, said: "After a member of the public told us of the problem, we visited Windsor Crescent to see if we could help.

"Our staff managed to rescue the Guinea pig, securing the drain back safely afterwards. It has now been returned safe and well to the owners."