This story is free to read.

Butcher trapped in freezer uses sausage to bash his way out

In this photo taken on Monday, July 18, 2016, a butcher carries a pigs head at Smithfield Market in London. Welsh farmers like Rees Roberts, who have 1,000 acres with sheep, cattle and crops, can expect to earn a premium on their meats thanks to a certificate of regional authenticity. But that marker of distinction _ the same kind that ensures Champagne can only come from the French region of the same name _ is granted by the European Union and is now at risk after Britain voted to leave the 28-country bloc. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) In this photo taken on Monday, July 18, 2016, a butcher carries a pigs head at Smithfield Market in London. Welsh farmers like Rees Roberts, who have 1,000 acres with sheep, cattle and crops, can expect to earn a premium on their meats thanks to a certificate of regional authenticity. But that marker of distinction _ the same kind that ensures Champagne can only come from the French region of the same name _ is granted by the European Union and is now at risk after Britain voted to leave the 28-country bloc. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

By Associated Press January 12, 2018 1 min read

LONDON (AP) – A British butcher who got locked in a freezer says he was saved by a frozen sausage that he used as a battering ram.

Chris McCabe says he became trapped in the walk-in freezer at his shop in Totnes, southwest England, last month when wind blew the door shut. The safety button to open the door had frozen in the -20 C (-4 F) chill.

McCabe said he tried unsuccessfully to kick the button free before picking up a 1.5 kilogram (3.3 pound) black pudding, a form of blood sausage.

McCabe told website Devon Live that he used the meaty tube “like a battering ram” and managed to unstick the button after several blows.

The grateful butcher told the Daily Mirror: “Black pudding saved my life, without a doubt.”