Firefighters are warning parents to be vigilant after they were called out to five cases of children trapped inside locked cars in as many weeks.

None of the children was injured although one child was given a precautionary check by paramedics.

The most recent was at an address in Colson Drive, Iwade, where an 18-month-old girl needed freeing from a BMW X5.

It’s believed her parents who had another child with them, a boy thought to be 10, were getting ready for the school run when the door shut with the remote key inside which the youngster then pressed and locked the doors.

Sittingbourne crews, who were called at 8.30am on July 10, smashed a quarter light window before using a stick with a magnet on the end to get the keys so they could open the door.

Crew manager Mat Barney said: “The little girl was moving around the car freely but she was very distressed as was her mum Fortunately the car was in a bit of shade. Try and make sure a spare key is always available but if this sort of thing does happen don’t struggle and try to get to the child.

“Even if they are old enough or able enough to get the keys and pass them to you don’t waste time, call us straight away because the concern is they might stick them in the ignition and start the car and put it in gear. It can also mean the difference between someone over-heating. It’s easy to get someone’s temperature up but not so easy to get it down and it could result in them being hospitalised.”

He also advised covering glass if the sun is shining through.

The other call-outs were:

Harmony Close, Sittingbourne, on June 6 – a three-year old girl locked inside a Honda Jazz. Her parents were washing the car when it happened.

Langley Road, Milton Regis, on June 21 – a three-month-old boy locked inside a Ford Ka.

Aldi supermarket car park, East Street, Sittingbourne, on July 2 – A baby girl less than a year old freed from a blue Honda.

Argent Way, Sittingbourne, July 3 – An eight-week-old girl in a Volkswagen Golf on family’s driveway.

Crews have also been called to a child locked in a flat after the lock jammed at Limehouse Court, Sittingbourne, on June 3.

Then on June 27 at 12.02pm in Tourmaline Drive, Sittingbourne, firefighters used an hydraulic door opener to get to a young boy stuck inside a house.