A would-be burglar was the architect of his own demise this morning when he became wedged in a vent as he broke into a fish and chip shop.
A member of the public heard a man shouting for help from inside a fish and chip shop on Langdons Rd, Papanui, about 2.30am, Fire Service shift manager Brent Dunn said.
"He had climbed through a vent, trying to get in."
Police called the Fire Service, and they arrived about 10 minutes later.
"He was stuck in the air-conditioning vent. We freed the guy, and he was handed over to our colleagues in blue," Mr Dunn said.
"What was he doing there in the first place, you have to ask."
A police spokesman said the man was stuck in the extractor fan above the shop's cooking vats.
He was initially taken to hospital, and is now in police custody.