The Fifty Shades of Grey Effect: More Handcuff Incidents Reported

More people are also getting stuck in toilets, toasters, and vacuum cleaners

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Nicolas Hansen / Getty Images

A growing number of London residents have reported getting stuck in handcuffs and toilets in the last three years, according to a new report published today by the London Fire Brigade.

Since 2010, authorities have responded to more than 1,300 incidents of people getting stuck in everyday household items, costing taxpayers £377,000 (nearly $580,000).

“I don’t know whether it’s the Fifty Shades effect, but the number of incidents involving items like handcuffs seems to have gone up,” Third Officer, Dave Brown, said in a press release, referring to the bestselling erotic novel by E.L. James. “I’m sure most people will be Fifty Shades of red by the time our crews arrive to free them,” he added.

Firefighters have also tended to one man who got his “manhood” stuck in a toaster and another who got his stuck in a vacuum cleaner.

On Twitter, the fire department has been offering tongue-and-cheek tips for avoiding these situations in the first place, while also noting that authorities would rather spend their time saving lives:

[tweet https://twitter.com/LondonFire/status/361780332283965442%5D

Here’s the London Fire Brigade’s full list of unusual places where people have gotten stuck recently:

• A man with his penis stuck in a toaster
• A man with his arm stuck in a portaloo [that’s a portable toilet for American readers]
• A child with its hand trapped in a sweet machine
• A child with its head trapped in an ironing board
• An adult stuck in a child’s toy car
• A child with its head stuck in a massage chair
• A child with its foot stuck in a brass vase
• Someone with a test tube stuck on their finger
• A child with a tambourine stuck on its head
• A man with a sewing machine needle stuck in his finger

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