Three children spent the night trapped in a lift at a Willenhall block of flats. Some residents ignored the alarm bell because they thought it was youngsters fooling about.

The three were eventually released this morning after an eight-hour ordeal.

The youngsters were David Myatt, his sister Jill and Kevin Boden. Their parents were hunting for them and police were preparing for a full-scale search as the friends remained trapped.

Some residents of the flats said they had heard nothing, but others said they had ignored the bell because they thought it was children playing the fool.