I BRING you a tale of drama, suspense and derring-do this week.

It’s the story of a cat called Archie, rescued from a roof by the fire service.

You might believe local newspapers are rife with reports of firefighters rescuing stranded cats so I’m afraid what follows won’t dispel that misconception.

I’m a little embarrassed to tell you, though, because Archie belongs to me. He was a rescue kitten from Cats Protection so you’d think he’d know better.

On Saturday evening Tony, who lives over the road, popped across to say he’d something to show us. We gazed at a nearby rooftop and sitting proudly on the ridge tiles was Archie.

If you need an excuse to break the ice with neighbours you’ve never met, try knocking on their door and explaining your silly pet is sitting on top of their house. Works a treat.

So, newly acquainted with Liz and Nick, a lovely couple, we discovered he’d got up there from their fence which runs past a low part of the roof.

Gentle coaxing didn’t work. A dish of food didn’t work. I climbed a ladder, hoping that might do the trick. It didn’t.

It was getting dark, so we decided Archie would come down by himself once he became hungry, and went home.

The next morning, he was still stranded. The RSPCA said they couldn’t do anything until he’d been there 24 hours.

Things became a bit desperate when a thunderstorm struck late in the afternoon. I thought the crashing and flashing and torrential rain would send him scurrying, but he clung on tightly, a huddled ball of wet spiky fur.

Once the storm cleared, RSPCA inspector Katie Glenn decided it was time to call in the fire brigade. So Green Watch from Winwick Road Fire Station brought their long ladder.

Hopes of Archie being rescued with a minimum of fuss were quickly abandoned. A team of burly firefighters and a big fire engine always attract a crowd. So it proved.

They hooked their ladder over the roof and a firefighter went up to grab the cat with a hook and pop him in a bag before bringing him down. I can’t praise the fire crew and RSPCA enough. They were brilliant.

We didn’t want to put either service to trouble when more pressing emergencies might have been unfolding. But Archie had become very distressed, and we were very grateful. We will be making a donation to the RSPCA and dropping off some thank-you goodies at the fire station.

If you want to help keep the good work of the RSPCA going, call the 24-hour donation line on 0300 123 8181 or visit their website at rspca.org.uk