A Texas repairman found that one of the hardest parts about being trapped while servicing a bank's automated teller machine was convincing customers coming for cash that he was stuck.

The ATM technician shouted and passed notes begging for help through the machine's receipt slot for about three hours but his appeals were mostly ignored, police said.

Lieutenant Chris Hooper said: "Apparently he left his cellphone and the swipe card he needed to get out of the room outside in his truck."

The unfortunate man was changing a lock to a room behind the machine. When he realised he was trapped with no way to communicate, he resorted to sliding notes through the slot.

People withdrawing cash though it was a prank, but luckily after about two hours one called police who heard a faint voice from inside the machine.

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