Five power-saw wielding firefighters rushed to an address in Garston - to free a two-year-old girl with her head trapped in a rather unusual place.

After a double dose of butter and washing-up liquid failed to release Ella Newton's head from a small hole in a cat scratching post, her frantic mother Annette had no other option but to dial 999.

The 32-year-old married mother-of-two explained: "We had this huge cat scratching post that Ella was playing near. It's got a hole in the bottom for the cat to climb through, but somehow she put her head through it and got stuck.

"At first I thought she was being silly but when I tried to move her she really was stuck and getting quite upset.

"I tried with butter and washing-up liquid to ease her head back out again but I couldn't get anywhere with it.

"My neighbour came to help but we still couldn't get her out move it so we had to dial 999."

After making the short dash to the address on North Western Avenue, firefighters from Garston attempted to dismantle the structure with a screw driver, but were soon forced to abandon this more subtle approach in favour of brute force.

Mrs Newton added: "The firemen and ambulance people were really amazing, but when they pulled out this huge great cutting saw I completely freaked out."

Eventually Ella was freed from the offending post (which has now been thrown away) suffering only from minor cuts and bruises. The cat, Mrs Newton added, is now scratching herself outside.