Horrified parents rushed their year-old baby to hospital after they swallowed a metal bell grabbed from the decorations set up to help ring in the New Year.

The parents, from Lipetsk, western Russia, called paramedics when their baby began choking uncontrollably.

Amazed medics found a bell the size of a walnut lodged in the baby’s throat after X-raying the tot.

Surgeons were able to remove the bell and released photographs of it as a warning to other parents.

Sergey Rakovsky, from the Regional Children’s Hospital of Lipetsk, said: “Small children should not be left unattended.

“They can swallow any object that happens to be in their hands.

“It can be not only a toy, but also a small part, a button or a coin.”

He added: “Be very attentive with a child who has just begun to get acquainted with the world around them.

“If you reasonably suspect that your child may have swallowed something inedible, you should consult a doctor.”

In Russia, children are often treated to a fir tree decorated with bells and other ornaments to mark the arrival of the New Year, and bells are a symbol of welcoming for a happy and prosperous period to come.