Mum called St Mary's firefighters after son was trapped in flat in Darwin Road

The 24-year-old alerted the fire service when her front door slammed behind her, leaving her one-year-old son stuck inside.

The mum said: “I have to go out of my flat to open the front door to the building, I came downstairs to let my sister in and the door to my flat blew shut behind me.”

A crew from St Mary’s fire station were called to reports that a baby was locked in the flat in Darwin Road.

Hampshire Fire and Rescue said: “We received a call at 11:57 to say that a baby had been locked in a building when the door shut behind the mum.

“One engine was sent to the flat and the incident was resolved about 12 minutes later, we received a message to say that the incident was resolved at 12:09.”

The mum said: “Luckily the firefighters put a ladder up to the window and got my son out through the window. They managed to get him out just as he started crying.

“It would’ve been horrible to have heard him crying for any longer so I am really thankful to the fire fighters for coming out so fast.”

Paul O’Donovan, Crew Manager at St. Mary’s fire station, climbed up the ladder himself to rescue the baby.

He said: “The little boy was alright but we were a little worried about the fact that there was a dog left alone with him in the flat –- luckily the dog was OK with the child but you never know.

“I climbed up a ladder, through the window of the flat, picked up the baby and opened the door from the inside.”