PART of a DIY warehouse was flooded after a worker got stuck in a loo and had to activate the sprinklers to raise the alarm.

A member of staff at the Hedge End B&Q store smashed a sprinkler head in the toilets when an emergency alarm pull cord failed to bring colleagues to his rescue.

It triggered a shower of gallons of water in the public toilet area on the ground floor.

The man, though to be in his 50s, was left drenched with cold water by the time he was rescued.

Firefighters from Hightown fire station in Southampton were called out to turn off the sprinkler system and help stem the flow of water gushing out from the toilets from flooding the entire store.

The drama happened at about 8.30pm on Monday. Staff were working to restock the B&Q warehouse in Charles Watts Way, Hedge End.

A large part of the ground floor was flooded. It is not thought any stock was damaged as they were on pallets.

A B&Q spokesman said the worker got stuck in the toilet because of a faulty lock.

“The sprinkler system was set off when the member of staff raised the security alarm.

“No colleagues or customers were harmed.”