A quick-thinking rescue team in Thailand used a spoon to free a boy whose hand was wedged in a swimming pool drain.

Emergency crews were called to the housing estate in Samut Prakan, just outside Bangkok, where the hapless youngster was found crying with half his hand stuck in the pool filter on July 11.

His fingers were jammed in the six-inch-wide drain as he stood wailing in chest-deep water.

Instead of smashing the edge of the pool, the ingenious rescue team slipped a spoon into the narrow tube to pry the hand free.

Footage shows the boy crying in pain as they slotted the silverware into the pipe. Using it as a makeshift crowbar, they were able to dislodging the child's hand without causing damage to the plumbing system.

The boy was not seriously harmed and escaped the ordeal with minor wounds and swollen fingers.

A rescue volunteer said: 'We want to warn parents to be more aware of the dangers in situations like this.

'If something unexpected happens, don't pull the child's arm or try to handle it yourself without proper knowledge or expertise because it could make things worse or cause injury.'