Environmental Graffiti

Not the actual hole. Image by J Kriton

When a man dropped his lighter down a hole in a busy street the last thing he expected was spending the next two hours wedged up to his armpits in the pavement.

Most people (perhaps) would have perceived the inherent danger in not only lowering themselves into road works to retrieve a lighter, but in going feet first, however the man - who was modestly said to have “had a few drinks” - was clearly unable to fathom the peril he would place his body in.

To make matters worse, as he became stuck in the 18in (30cm) hole dug by workmen to replace a lamppost in Swansea, a crowd of over a hundred giggling onlookers gathered brandishing camera phones. Unsurprisingly they were unable to free him (or perhaps more accurately, to stop laughing long enough to free him), leaving the man trapped for two hours before he was eventually released by the fire brigade.

One onlooker, 29-year-old builder Gareth Hughes, said: “He was wedged in so tight we’d have pulled his arms out of their sockets if we’d pulled any harder. He was stuck fast, right up to his chest.” He added, “even though it was mid-morning, I’d say he’d been drinking all through the night. He still had a can of lager in his hand.”

Quite what the emergency services thought of his antics is not clear, however what has emerged clearly from the farce is the ridiculous extent of his attachment to a 69p lighter, as well as the fact that when he awakes from his drunken stupor tomorrow and sees the headlines, he’ll have a double headache.

For actual pictures of the event, check the sources below and click here for a video on aol

Sources: 1, 2

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