Potty calls' to rescue kids stuck in tight spots' costing London £488,675

London: “Help help! My child’s stuck in potty!”

Yes. That’s the kind of SOS calls made by Londoners to firefighters in the city several times and this is costing exchequer thousands of pounds, according to figures released ahead of Child Safety Week.

London Fire Brigade said that in 2015 there were 1,499 incidents of under-18s getting stuck in things like potties, toilet seats and railings, and put the cost to the service at 488,675 pounds.

Some of the incidents have also included a toy train being stuck on a finger and a hand stuck in a door.

It was also called out to a 13-year-old stuck on a baby swing in a park.

Mark Hazelton, community safety group manager said: “I’m a father so I know it’s impossible to watch your children every second of the day but with a bit of extra forethought and careful supervision it’s far better to prevent youngsters getting in a tight spot in the first place.

“Many of the incidents we get called to could be avoided with a little bit of common sense,” Hazelton was quoted as saying by the BBC.

“I would ask parents to keep an eye on their children and only call 999 if it is a real emergency.”