A THIRTY-stone Southampton man has praised the efforts of the firefighters who rescued him from the bath after he became stuck.

Tony Kemp had to be hoisted from the bath using a specially set-up rig in the ground-floor bathroom of his Aldermoor home.

The emergency services were called after Mr Kemp's family had tried in vain to free him.

Mr Kemp, 41, said: "I got in the bath about 5pm and I must have been stuck a good three hours. The firefighters were absolutely fantastic. There was nothing that was too much trouble for them.

"I was a bit bruised but not hurt."

Mr Kemp suffers from a large hernia that makes it difficult for him to move.

A spokesman for Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service said it was one of their more unusual call-outs.

He said: "We have special lifting equipment for this sort of rescue operation. We were able to fit up a rig and hoist him out of the bath. It took us about half an hour to release him."

Paramedics were also called to the house.

Ambulance staff used an inflatable air bed to help move Mr Kemp out of the bathroom and into his bedroom. It was not thought necessary to take him to hospital.

Mr Kemp said he will no longer risk having a bath. He is waiting for Southampton City Council to install a specially adapted shower at the home that he shares with his mum Iris and his younger sister Kathleen.

A spokesman for Southampton City Council confirmed the family was on a waiting list for an adapted shower. An occupational assessment team will now decide if Mr Kemp needs to be given higher priority on the waiting list.