A WOMAN had three rings cut off a swollen finger by firefighters.

The woman, thought to be aged in her late 40s or early 50s and living in sheltered housing, was brought into Hove Fire Station by her carer at about 10.15am today.

The three decorative dress rings, understood to be titanium, had been forced on to the ring finger of her left hand.

They were removed by a fire crew in an hour-long operation.

A spokeswoman for East Sussex Fire and Rescue said: “She was in considerable pain.

“A big cheer went up when they got them all off.

“I think she was quite relieved.”

Firefighters used a ring cutter to remove the costume pieces, one of which had a stone in it, made more difficult due to the metal and how closely they were spaced on her finger.

The spokeswoman added: “It was more difficult than normal because they are harder to cut.

“They had bunched together and had become quite tight.”