A Dartmouth mum was trapped on her knees for up to an hour with her arm through her own letterbox before firefighters rescued her.

Probation officer Hayley Wood had locked herself out of her home in Victoria Road so she tried to put her arm through the letterbox to release the door catch inside.

Instead she ended up trapped by the letterbox flap – unable to reach the catch and unable to get her arm back out.

She was there for more than half an hour before a neighbour walked past and realised her plight.

When washing up liquid failed to free her they used ice to try and reduce the size of her now swollen arm.

And when that failed they called in Dartmouth fire brigade – who used spreading equipment on the letterbox to get her out.

'The fire brigade were brilliant,' said mother of two Hayley. 'They were really nice. Not only did they rescue my arm but after that they got me into the house as well.'

Hayley had dropped off her son and daughter last Friday morning and had popped back to the house to pick up something when she shut the door behind her with her house keys and car keys still inside.

She attempted to use a ladder to get in through an upstairs window before trying the arm through the letterbox technique which her 13-year-old son manages quite easily.

'I was totally embarrassed,' she said. 'When I realised I was stuck I thought this cannot be happening to me – stuck here kneeling down with my hand stuck in the letterbox. Loads of people were driving past.

'I couldn't move my arm at all and it was beginning to get a bit swollen. It was so stupid.'

She reckons she was stuck there for up to an hour before the fire team got her out.

'I can laugh about it now but not at the time. We also need to replace the letterbox now,' she added.

Dartmouth watch commander Neil Whitemore said; 'She was well and truly wedged. We used equipment to spread the letterbox just a few millimetres to free her arm and it was a happy ending.'