Education, Sport and Culture Minister Graham Cregeen is thanking his lucky stars – after getting his head stuck in a paper bag.

Fortunately for the Malew MHK, passers-by spotted his distress and managed to calm the frightened politician and pull the bag off his head before any lasting damage could be done.

“It’s very irresponsible,” said one of his rescuers, “People don’t realise ministers can’t resist sticking their heads in discarded bags to see what’s inside. It’s part of their natural curiosity.

“But they can become disoriented very quickly and I’d ask anyone who sees an MHK in obvious trouble to call experts – never try to remove the bag yourself.”