Potty toddler gets toilet seat stuck round his neck

11:03pm Monday 11th February 2008

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Toddler Max Cole was left feeling flushed after he pulled his practice toilet seat over his head and got it stuck round his neck.

The two-year-old had been larking around with the mini plastic seat and even said to his mum Nickie Adams: "Do you like my new hat?"

But just seconds later little Max had pulled the loo seat completely over his head and couldn't get it off.

Nickie tried to yank the seat off using baby cream and fairy liquid, but it wouldn't budge.

Eventually she called 999 and firefighters had to use a hacksaw to free the little boy.

Nickie, of Stanford Way, Broadbridge Heath, Horsham, said the drama unfolded after Max had crawled through to the spare room to play but found only his mini toilet seat.

Nickie said: "He had it sat on the top of his head and he pulled it and pulled it down until he'd got it over his head.

"It has two handles a bit like a wok so you can get a good grip. It went over his head until it landed down around his neck like a dog collar.

"He asked me to get it off but there was no way it was coming off. He started to get stressed after ten minutes when my attempts hadn't worked.

"I cut off the foam padding around the sides of the seat to make more room but it didn't work. I tried everything.

"I called my other half because he knows a carpenter who I thought might be able to help but we had no luck."

Police worker Nickie, 37, then called a friend who works in the fire service.

She told Nickie to call 999 and three firefighters were soon on the scene.

Nickie praised them for their help.

She said: "They taped up the seat and took out a small hacksaw. One firefighter told Max to speak into the radio to distract him while another held the seat. A third sawed through it.

"They took less than an hour and later gave Max a ride in their fire engine in his pyjamas."

Nickie, who lives with Max's dad Lee Cole, added: "This is just the sort of thing that will go down well at his wedding."

Gary Towson, of West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, said: "We have to be prepared to deal with anything. We often find ourselves having to improvise but thankfully this was very simple and had a happy ending.

"We're glad the little chap is all right and that he won't be doing it again. I've never seen anything like it in my 28 years in the service, but at least it was clean."

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