'Curious' toddler stuck in drain

Albany firefighters responding to an emergency call-out arrived at a Spencer Park home to find a curious toddler wedged inside a backyard drain this morning.

Two-year-old Eden Forder had been playing in the backyard while his mother Rebecca Pendlebury went about her morning chores when he stepped into a concrete drain, trapping his left leg inside.

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“He was playing out the back and I was hanging out the washing and I heard him whinge so I came over to check on him and he had his leg down the drain,” Ms Pendlebury said.

“I thought ‘oh god’ … I tried dislodging him for 15 minutes and it just wasn’t happening without force so I called 000.”

Ms Forder said Eden had autism and was naturally inquisitive, so it wasn’t unusual for him to get himself into mischief.

“On a constant daily basis he’s up on things and in things, so it wasn’t really a surprise to find him in there,” she said.

“Normally he sticks toys and things down there, not himself.”

Eden was kept preoccupied by a small rescue team during the 30 minutes it took to free him and he appeared more amused than distressed by the ordeal.

He emerged with no injuries except minor bruising.

Albany Fire and Rescue Service station officer Geraint Maddison and his crew dug underneath the drain before carrying it to nearby lawn with the boy still stuck inside.

He was then carefully cut free from the concrete piping with hand tools.

“It was a little bit of thinking through the problems to get him out,” Mr Maddison said.

“He was beautifully calm the whole time, we gave him a radio and a set of glasses to play with and he was all good.”