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A man whose testicle was stuck in a toilet seat and another who impaled himself on a bathroom tap are among thousands of Londoners who have phoned 999 over loo-related mishaps, new figures reveal.

Firefighters were sent out to rescue 3,855 unfortunate adults and children from loos and bathrooms between 2011 and 2015, the London Fire Brigade data show.

They include someone “wedged between wall and toilet”, a number of children who managed to get their heads stuck in toilet seats, and one man whose head was lodged firmly in a bathroom window.

While a few of the call outs were genuine emergencies, the brigade said the majority could have been better dealt with by locksmiths or friends of the stricken party.

“Make sure that if you have a faulty lock that you check it and make sure it works and don’t get stuck in those positions,” said a spokesman.

“In a number of occasions a locksmith will be able to assist you rather than sending out for the fire brigade.

“It’s embarrassing getting locked inside a toilet but the vast majority of the call outs are not emergencies.

Interactive graphic: Discover how many toilet and bathroom call-outs by borough

“We’d like to wash our hands of these incidents, freeing up more time for our crews to help people in real need of assistance.”

Tower Hamlets in the East End was the London borough whose toilet-users made the most calls to the brigade – 240 in just under five years, the equivalent of almost one a week.

Those in Bexley, south-east London, were better equipped to take toilet-related matters into their own hands, calling the brigade just 48 times in the same period.

The figures were released to coincide with World Toilet Day, an annual appeal created by the World Toilet Organisation to raise awareness and cash for the 2.5 billion people who do not have access to sanitation and toilets.

“We’re asking people to think before they dial 999,” added the spokesman, “and to spare a thought for those who do not have access to sanitation and toilets.”

Genuine emergencies included a call from the London Ambulance Service to help them break down a toilet door because a person was thought to be in cardiac arrest behind it.

In 2013 it was revealed that unnecessary 999 calls had also been made to rescue a man whose penis was trapped in a toaster and a man with a tambourine stuck on his head.

The brigade estimates each call-out costs the taxpayer about £295.