text: A four-year-old boy got trapped in an arcade game after climbing in to the 'claw' machine when he failed to win a teddy. Henry Howes narrowly failed to pick up a Despicable Me toy as he played the notoriously difficult claw game at his local swimming pool in Tamworth, Staffordshire. Desperate to get to his hands on the teddy, he put his hand inside the machine's hatch - but when he reached too far, he slipped under the trap door and was stuck inside. Scroll down for video . Trapped: Henry Howes got stuck inside an arcade game at the Snowdome in Tamworth, Staffordshire . Grumpy: But the four-year-old was unhurt after spending half an hour trapped in the machine . Luckily, his nine-year-old brother Harvey witnessed the accident, so was able to run and call their mother Emma. She alerted staff at the Snowdome leisure centre, but Henry was trapped for half an hour as workers looked for the key to the machine. Mrs Howes, 33, said: 'He asked if he could have a go on the teddy machine so I gave him £1 and told him to go with his big brother. 'Off they went round the corner and then his brother came back and said, "Henry is stuck in the machine." I assumed he meant his hand - I didn't think he'd be inside the machine. He was completely inside it! 'He had picked the teddy up with the claw and it had dropped with the teddy's leg hanging over the edge. Struggle: It took workers half an hour to free Henry as they searched for the keys to the machine . Free at last: Henry eventually made his way out of the machine - and got to keep the cuddly toy . 'He opened up the hatch and reached up to get it and when his bottom got under the hatch door it just flipped down. It came down on him.' She added: 'I don't know how he managed to get in there. He's only four but he's a tall lad. 'I was laughing my head off. I could see that he was fine and he wasn't upset. 'I had to go to the reception and tell them my son was stuck in the machine. They couldn't believe it either. He was in there for a good half an hour.' Henry had previously gone for a swimming lesson with Harvey, and was waiting for his sister Scarlett, seven, to finish her class when he got stuck in the machine. Relief: Henry's mother Emma said she could tell that the young boy was unhurt while in the machine . Venue: Henry had just finished a swimming lesson at the Snowdome in Tamworth, pictured . As staff hunted for the keys, Mrs Howes tried to encourage Henry to open the machine from the inside, but he refused because he didn't want to release the teddy from his grasp. 'They tried to take one side off but they couldn't find the keys,' she said. 'We were asking him to reach up and get at the screws but he wouldn't let go of the teddy. Eventually they managed to get the other side open. 'I said to the lady, "I hope you'll let him have it," and they did. He hasn't let go of it since. He went to bed with it that night.' Mrs Howes, who lives in Tamworth with husband Don, added: 'When I showed his dad he laughed too. He said it was the kind of thing he would have done when he was young. 'Henry is very adventurous. I'm worried he's going to do it again to get another toy because it really didn't bother him. He's quite pleased.'
target: Henry Howes was playing on arcade game after a swimming lesson at the Snowdome in Tamworth .
  When he failed to pick up a teddy he reached inside the claw machine .
  But the four-year-old stretched too far and got trapped inside the game .
  Staff took half an hour to free Henry as they searched for the keys .