Victoria police free embarrassed husband who got firmly wedged inside the appliance when hiding to surprise his wife

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

Police had to use olive oil to free a naked man who became trapped in a top-loading washing machine.

The unctuous intervention was part of a 20-minute rescue operation mounted in Mooroopna, Victoria, to pry the man from the hiding place he had planned to use to surprise his wife.

"He was very well wedged in there and we were concerned for his health and wellbeing," Shepparton police sergeant Michelle De Araugo told Shepparton News.

‘‘It was just a game gone wrong. It would be fair to say the gentleman was very embarrassed."

Firefighters, paramedics and SES officers also assisted the rescue.

A spokeswoman for Victoria police said: “Emergency services were called to a house in Helmer Street. A 20-year-old man required assistance after being trapped in a washing machine.

“He was transferred to Goulburn Valley hospital for observation.”

Laundry-related rescues have proven to be a recurring theme in the early days of 2014. It was reported on Saturday that a girl in the US also got stuck in a washing machine while playing hide and seek. Peanut butter and ice were used in an attempt to free her, before firefighters managed to haul her out.