London reports increase in bondage emergencies, ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ blamed

Brits might be getting locked up in love more than usual.

London firefighters say they've saved an increased number of people trapped in handcuffs in recent years, and they speculated the erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey might have caused the mysterious rise in bondage emergencies.

The London Fire Brigade released statistics on the number of incidents caused by people getting stuck in everything from toilet seats and shredders to toys.

The statement — published with a photo of pink fuzzy handcuffs — says 79 incidents in the past three years involved people trapped in handcuffs.

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"I don't know whether it's the Fifty Shades effect, but the number of incidents involving items like handcuffs seem to have gone up," Third Officer Dave Brown told the Associated Press.

The Fifty Shades of Grey series became an international phenomenon after the first book published in 2011, selling 70 million copies in 2012, according to the Guardian.

Last year, reports indicate sex stores and even hardware stores had seen an increase in sales of kinky toys and rope respectively, which seemed to connect with intrigued Fifty Shades readers exploring new ideas.

Other incidents the London Fire Brigade responded to in recent years included a child with a lego stuck on his finger, children with their heads stuck in toilet seats and people with their hands trapped in blenders.

The brigade warned Londoners not to call firefighters unless there was a serious emergency, and to avoid awkward situations by using logic.

For example, keep the handcuff keys within reach.

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