Little Theo Gliddon will think twice the next time he goes experimenting.

That's because when he wanted to find out what it would be like to stick his head through the bannisters on his stairs, he ended up staying there for half an hour.

It was only with help from the fire brigade that he managed to pop it back out again - much to the relief of mum Nicola, 24, grandmother Fran and step-grandad Peter.

Today four-year-old Theo was recovering from his ordeal at home in Chestnut Path, Canewdon, with a teddy firefighters had given him.

He told his mum: "I don't want to do that again. I didn't like it."

Nicola said she was just relieved everything was fine now. She said: "I was in the bathroom and he called up to me that he was stuck. I think he must have done it on purpose.

"He was at the bottom of the stairs and he just stuck his head through the bannister. I don't know how he could have done it."

She said the three of them attempted to unscrew the bannister to free Theo, who was by this time quite distressed. But when they realised they couldn't, they called out the fire brigade.

Firefighters rubbed washing-up liquid into Theo's hair to help ease his head out. But it was stuck fast.

In the end they managed to unscrew the bannister and rescued Theo from his self-imposed imprisonment.

Nicola said: "I think he's a bit shy about it now. But he's been going round wearing his fireman's helmet since then. He's also called the teddy bear FM after fireman."

Sub-officer Mick Elliot, of Rochford fire service, said: "He was a bit distressed with all that was going on."

Safe - Theo is comforted by his teddy after being freed from the bannister by firefighters

Picture: MAXINE CLARKE

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.