A man who became stuck in a child's toy car and 36 people trapped in handcuffs were among the "time consuming" call-outs to firefighters last year, the London Fire Brigade (LFB) has revealed.

Others included a youth wedged in an ironing board and a person with their fingers stuck in a DVD player.

These were among 417 incidents attended by fire crews in 2010 involving people stuck in objects, machinery and furniture.

The Brigade issued the data after firefighters in Derby were called to rescue a student whose head was trapped in a clothes horse.

It said such incidents divert time from crews who are then unavailable to attend other, potentially life threatening, emergencies.

Dave Brown, the brigade's assistant commissioner for operations and mobilising, said: "You wouldn't believe some of the incidents we’re called to deal with – people manage to get themselves trapped in some very weird and wonderful places but there is a serious side to this.

"We'd ask the public to take greater care to avoid getting themselves into these often ridiculous situations and to think carefully before dialling 999 and calling us out if there isn't an emergency."

Article courtesy of Aviva PLC. Published 28-11-2011