A chimpanzee stuck in an East End chimney has been revealed as one of the strangest animal call outs attended by firefighters.

The bizarre revelation comes as the London Fire Brigade (LFB) released figures showing calls for animal rescues in the capital have fallen to the lowest level since records began.

The brigade released details of weird and wonderful rescue missions it has undertaken in recent years – with the chimp in a chimney in Tower Hamlets topping the list.

Fire chiefs are now hoping they can stop monkeying around with animal call outs for good.

Last year London’s firefighters were called out to 282 animal rescues – down from 650 the year before, and the lowest recorded number since 1999.

And the brigade is hoping the downward trend continues.

LFB group manager Mark Hazelton said: “When firefighters are out rescuing animals, they’re not available to attend real emergencies.

“As well as being time consuming, animal rescues cost the tax payer and I’m sure most people would prefer their money was being spent on training or fire prevention work, than cats up trees.”

Each rescue is estimated to cost the taxpayer at least £290, prompting fire chiefs to launch a campaign called “I’m an animal, get me out of here” in a bid to reign in costs.

The chimp rescue, in 2010, was highlighted among other weird rescues including a hamster stuck in a lift and a snake rescued from the roof of a mosque.