WHEN two-year-old Alana O'Connor started toilet training it was supposed to put an end to little accidents.

But the Oldham tot was caught short on a trip to the supermarket - her portable potty got stuck on her head.

Despite red-faced mum Shelley's best attempts the device would not budge. But thanks to a quick-thinking shop worker Alana's ordeal was soon over. She pointed out a fire station across the road and crews there managed to cut her free.

Shelley, 31, said she was at the checkout when the drama unfolded. She explained: "She'd started training at the start of the week and this was the first time she'd taken the potty out with her. I was paying a the checkout of the Co-Op in Mossley when I just heard her shout 'Mummy'.

"I turned round and it was stuck on her head. She was a bit frantic and was screaming the place down. I tried to pull it off but got nowhere so then I tried to pull it down but it got lodged on her shoulders.

"She was shaking and screaming. I can laugh about it now but at the time I was just thinking 'What can I do?'.

"I was going to take her to Accident and Emergency but the woman on the checkout said I should take her to the fire station.

"I carried her over and was comforting her. I pressed the bell and one of the firemen came out with a big smile on his face. We went in and about six of them gathered round while he cut it off.

"She knew what was going on and that they were there to help her so she was fine."

Safely back at the family home in Grasscroft, Alana revealed she had learned her lesson.

"It was scary," she said. "I won't do it again."

Shelley says she may use the episode as a bargaining tool when Alana gets older. "I might use it in a speech when she gets married," she joked. "I'm going to start calling her Princess Potty."

Mossley firefighter Russ Winterbottom, 51, was the hero of the day. He said: "I've actually seen things like this before. Alana was very calm and when we took it off she had a big smile on her face."