A TODDLER from Southampton found out the hard way that wearing a toilet seat was a potty idea after getting one stuck on her head.

Three year old Emma Venn became trapped after placing her toilet training seat over her head to wear as a necklace, while her mum’s back was turned.

The toddler, who attends Start Point Nursery in Sholing, began to panic and broke down in tears after discovering her new piece of jewellery would not go back over her head.

Emma’s mum, 27 year old Carlene Allen said: “We tried for about 20 minutes to get the seat back over her head. we even had the neighbours round to try. In the end we didn’t know what else to do, so I phoned the fire brigade.”

A crew from Hightown fire station rushed to the scene at Knighton Road in Sholing to free the panicking youngster.

Concerned the toilet seat might shatter if they cut into it, and the danger of Emma flinching during the procedure, fireman instead opted to have one member of the team hold Emma still while another carefully bent and pulled the seat back over the panicked youngster’s head.

It took crews less than ten minutes to free Emma, however, seeing she was still tearful after her ordeal, the firemen gave her a tour of their engine to cheer her up.

Following the fiasco it appears that Emma has leant her lesson, or developed a new phobia at least.

Mother of four, Carlene said: “I had to throw the toilet seat in the bin. Emma is terrified of it. She screams whenever she sees it.”

This is not the first toilet related mishap that Hampshire firefighters have been called to with a crew from Winchester having to attend Stanmore Primary School back in September after a pupil became stuck in a cubicle due to a faulty lock.