Emergency services have issued a warning to parents in part of England after a viral social media trend appeared to have prompted widespread calls over the past month. Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) have revealed that staff have been called to 18 incidents involving children and young people trapped in playground equipment since early April – 14 of which occurred in May alone .

And according to the service, they all involved people caught in baby and infant swings in playgrounds and unable to free themselves. The teenagers are thought to have gotten themselves tricked into trying to emulate a ‘challenge’ seen on the social media platform TikTok.

According to the Liverpool Echo, fire services across the UK spoke last year of the number of 999 calls they had received to help people in similar situations, with the craze now appearing to have reached Merseyside. The majority of incidents tracked by the MFRS involved young people between the ages of 11 and 15.

Of these, 11 have taken place in Knowsley – including four at Webster Park and three at Memorial Park in Kirkby. Two incidents took place in Sefton, Wirral and Liverpool, and one in St Helens. Some of the incidents have seen crews able to free the youngsters without the need for tools, but others have led to the swing sets being completely dismantled, rendering them unusable for other people. No one was injured, but the MFRS is calling on teenagers to think twice before participating in any challenges or dares.

Ben Ryder, Regional Operational Response Manager at MFRS, said: “We are seeing all kinds of different incidents with people needing our help in a multitude of situations. We are there to help – it’s in our nature – but such incidents are totally avoidable, unnecessary and cause huge expense to local authorities.

A spokesperson for Knowsley Council said: ‘Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services provide a crucial service to our communities and it is unacceptable for a small number of people to waste their precious time in this way. I encourage parents to talk to their children and explain the consequences of this behavior.

“I would also say to our young people that while we invite you to use our parks and green spaces, please do not engage in behavior that puts you and others at risk.”

Mr Ryder added: “We urge young people to think twice before trying to emulate the last dare or dare they saw online. It might sound a bit fun and it might increase your online following, but is it worth it?

“You could injure yourself as a result, it damages playgrounds that need to be cut out to free you, rendering them unusable by other members of the community who want to enjoy these facilities responsibly.

“We are fortunate to have free and easy access to our parks and playgrounds – don’t spoil it for everyone. Incidents like this tie up already stretched fire department resources, diverting crews more serious, life-threatening incidents.

“Every incident our teams attend takes time to manage. Every minute counts when someone’s life is in danger – remember, we can’t be in two places at once.”