A 10-YEAR-OLD boy had a pair of toy handcuffs cut from his ankle by firefighters.

The youngster was brought to Atherton fire station at about 12am on Sunday morning by his worried grandmother, who had called 999.

He had been playing with the metal handcuffs at home in Tyldesley and had secured them around his left ankle, but then was not able to release them.

When the boy and his grandmother tried to force the handcuffs off they tightened, and started to cause the youngster a lot of pain.

The woman then called 999 and, while operators offered to send a fire engine to the house, insisted she would bring her grandson to the station in Gloucester Street.

Firefighters managed to fit pliers through the gap at the back of the handcuffs and force the pin, making the hinge pop open.

Watch Manager Dave Holden said: “He was crying when he came in so we picked him up, popped him on a desk and had a look at the toy handcuffs to assess the best way to release them.

“They were made of a light gauge metal, so we were able to force them open.

“The whole thing was all over in about five minutes, and he cheered up straight away.

“You get a lot of job satisfaction from a job like that.”

The youngster had some red marks on his ankle which disappeared when the handcuffs were released. He did not need any first aid treatment.