HOTEL staff in Bournemouth were involved in a rescue attempt after a surprise guest spent the night trapped in a car.

A weeks-old kitten was rescued from inside the undertray of a car belonging to a guest staying at the Orchid Hotel in Gervis Road.

The hotel’s night porter discovered the black and white kitten, which had been left orphaned following a fox attack on its mother the previous evening.

Looking for shelter, the kitten climbed into the rear of the car and took refuge behind its undertray, becoming stuck.

The RSPCA was alerted and attended the scene. However, lacking car part expertise, the team was unable to free the kitten.

They left the scene, leaving behind a cage for whoever was able to rescue the youngster.

In order to get advice from a car expert, staff called Ravenscroft Motors to alert a Green Flag technician. When he arrived, he assessed the situation and was able to come up with a plan to free the kitten.

Removing components from underneath the rear of the car, he was able to rescue it.

However, as soon as the kitten was free, it disappeared under the front of the car and into the engine bay, as hotel manager Andy Padgett explained.

“Ironically, we found it stuck underneath the catalytic converter of the car,” he said.

The technician was forced to repeat the process under the engine cover and eventually eased the kitten out of the car.

Andy said the rescue attempt took a total of 30 hours.

Now named Smokey, the kitten is with the RSPCA. The hotel’s receptionist, Rosie, is hoping to adopt it.

“It’s a really cute, sweet-looking cat. It was a bit shaky when we got it out, but Rosie put it in her jumper to keep it warm. The RSPCA said it was in really good condition,” he added.

Following such an unusual call-out for the Green Flag technician, the company’s managing director was made aware of the situation.

Candace Gerlach, head of marketing at Green Flag, said: “Smokey’s story is not the sort of rescue service that our technicians face every day – however, it’s one we’re proud to be involved in.”

The technician, whose name is not known, added: “The poor thing was well and truly stuck. We had to work fast to remove all of the parts without causing it any more distress, which we managed to do successfully.”