Toddler put in tumble dryer 'as a joke'

CCTV footage of a toddler being put inside a laundrette tumble dryer "as a joke" has gone viral.

The father was playing a prank on the mother - but both panicked when the auto-lock on the door activated the machine.

They frantically tried in vain to open the door and stop the tumble dryer but were unable to do so until an employee turned off the power.

Fortunately, the little boy survived the ordeal with nothing worse than minor bruising, reports the Media.

The couple had been loading the tumble dryer in a US laundrette when the man put the toddler inside the machine as the mother's back was turned.

But the auto-lock on the machine's door activated the dryer, preventing the shocked couple from retrieving their son.

After a minute of panic, an attendant turned off the power allowing the couple to grab their child before making a hasty dash for the exit.

The video has notched up more than 400,000 page views on YouTube.

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