A 12-year-old boy who got his head stuck in a water wheel was rescued by firefighters yesterday evening.

The crew from Epsom fire station were called to Bourne Hall in Ewell Village at about 6.10pm to reports of a man stuck with his hair in windmill.

When firefighters arrived they discovered the young boy with his head trapped in the wheel.

One firefighter said: "He said he was playing football when he ball went into the water. He went to retrieve it and got his head stuck in there.

"The wheel was putting pressure on his neck, so we fit wood underneath it so it wouldn't' move any further forward.

"We initially thought we would have to cut the bar to free him, but we managed to turn the wheel the other way and take it off his neck."

The schoolboy was taken to hospital after being freed.