A TEENAGER had a birthday to remember after ending a heavy night locked inside a bar in Witham.

Charlie Pudney was out on the town on Saturday evening celebrating his 19th birthday.

He and a group of friends decided to pay a visit to one of their favourite bars, Shots Pool Club, in Collingwood Road.

When last orders were called Charlie decided to nip to the toilet whilst he still had time, but soon found himself in a sticky situation.

Charlie said: “The next thing I knew it was 3.30am and I was locked in.

“I could get out of the toilets and walk downstairs so I could get into the bar but I couldn’t get out the front door.

“When I realised I was locked in at first I just started laughing, then I got very worried, then it made me laugh again.”

Not knowing what else to do, Charlie called his uncle who then called Essex Fire and Rescue Service.

A rescue began from a second floor window of the popular pool hall later that morning.

Charlie said: “We tried phoning the guy who owns the bar but he didn’t answer.

“The fire service spent a while thinking about how to get me down because I didn’t want to use the ladder whilst intoxicated.

“Eventually we decided it was the only way to get me down. I would really like to say thank you to the fire service.”

Charlie, an apprentice floor layer, said: “My friends said I must have fallen asleep on the toilet but I don’t think I did. We were all fairly drunk I would say.

“I still went to the pub on Sunday to continue celebrating.”