Since 2001 around 100 children in Bromley have had to be rescued from vehicles after being trapped inside, figures show.

The news comes after London Fire Brigade warned parents to take extra care as summer holidays arrive, having spent nearly £240,000 in the last five years being called to children who have managed to get “locked in rooms or get themselves trapped in things”.

In Bromley, the brigade has dealt with hundreds of instances in the last decade, including 16 occasions where youngsters have wedged their head in between the bars of a stair banister.

In Lewisham meanwhile 407 rescues have been recorded since 2009, ranging from a child who needed their arm freed from a speaker, to another who had lodged their leg in a bike wheel.

In 2012, one young person was unlucky enough to trap themselves in a pair of handcuffs.

In a plea today, LFB asked for Londoners to “avoid potty incidents”, after last week having to help another unfortunate child whose head was stuck in a potty.

The brigade’s Dave Brown said: “Kids are always crawling about and exploring so accidents are bound to happen, but when we are releasing children from under tables and out of TV speakers it diverts our attention from other emergencies.

“Many of the incidents we get called to could be avoided with a little bit of common sense.  During this summer holiday, I would ask parents to keep an eye on their children and only call 999 if it is a real emergency.”