FIREFIGHTERS in Essex were called in to help move obese people on 21 occasions last year.

Fire crews are often called when the person is too large for paramedics or police to be able to move them.

They can help by bringing hydraulic lifting equipment, more commonly used to rescue animals, such as cows and horses, or clear buildings, or knock down walls.

The number of incidents in Essex, between April 2015 and March 2016, is down on recent years.

This may be partly due to the ambulance service investing in more bariatric ambulances specifically designed to help the obese due to their increased size and facilities.

Nationally the number of incidents where rescue equipment needed to move people is still rising, up to 944 last year compared to 709 in 2012/13.

Rescuers often use special slings and sometimes have to remove windows, walls and banisters, in people’s homes to get them out.

Examples nationally included a man stuck on a sofa for four days who was lifted into an ambulance and a 40 stone man rescued from a pub.