Eagle-eyed viewers of the 24-hour Swan Cam at the Bishop's Palace in Wells became concerned on Monday (May 11), when it became clear that only six out of the seven new cygnets were visible on the Palace Moat.

Palace staff were contacted by members of the public and began a search of the immediate area.

It was thought that due to the very high winds on Sunday afternoon and evening, the cygnet had been washed down the weir at the corner of Moat Walk and Silver Street.

However, on Monday afternoon, Claire Condie, of Wand Road, Wells, was leaving her house, when she discovered an injured cygnet being attacked by a magpie on her driveway and stepped in to save him.

Quick-thinking Claire wrapped the cygnet up and took him to Westfield Vets in the city, where Charlie Moore took over caring for the animal.

Following a night of supervision by Charlie, the cygnet was declared well enough to return home and was reunited with the rest of its family at 1pm yesterday.

Moira Anderson from the palace, who cares for the swans, said: "It seems like he was washed over the sluice and then followed the stream all the way down to its end on Wand Road – quite a distance.

"The vet also suspects that he's met a cat on his travels, so it's amazing that he's now well enough to return to us. Many thanks to Claire and to Charlie from all of us at the palace."

Public interest in the palace swans and their cygnets has been enormous this year, with thousands of entries into the Cygnet-Naming Competition which is due to end tomorrow (May 13).