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Amorous couples copying steamy scenes from Fifty Shades of Grey will be charged at least £400 if they need rescuing by West Midlands Fire Service.

The warning was issued amid fears of a rise in lovers finding themselves trapped by handcuffs, rings and other household items after being inspired by the movie, out this weekend.

Fire bosses can charge for responding to non-emergencies and costs start at £400.

A fire service spokesman said: “We are aware of the so called “Fifty Shades” effect and are bracing ourselves for calls.

“We have had a number of incidents since the book came out, mainly involving objects and rings which need to be removed from delicate areas.

“We have specialist cutting gear which we use to remove items which are stuck.

“We will always attend a genuine emergency but we have to warn people they could be left with a hefty bill for a call-out.

“People call 999 and ask us to attend incidents when there is clearly no emergency, risk of danger, or threat to life and we are not explicitly funded to do this.

“Obviously this will be assessed at the time but a call-out charge starts around the £400 mark.”

A similar warning has been issued by the London Fire Brigade, which plans to detail its most embarrassing calls on its Twitter feed.

It is running a campaign called Fifty Shades of Red, asking people to consider the potential consequences of their actions before getting themselves into compromising situations.