The presence of a 'baby on board' sticker could be misleading emergency services in the aftermath of a car accident.

Leasing broker Flexed says the labels can be an important indicator for emergency first responders and should be removed when there isn't a child in the car.

"It may seem a relatively trivial issue to some," says Flexed.co.uk spokesperson Mark Hall, "But it could become a life-or-death situation in the event of a serious road accident."

Paramedic Jamie Shuttleworth said: "If you don't want to waste our time, take them out when not traveling with a baby."

Shuttleworth recalls one incident where a car was ripped in half, and the emergency services spent around 20 minutes at the scene searching adjacent fields and hedges for a baby that wasn't there - all because of the presence of the baby sign, toys and other items.

"Obviously, if you're conscious it's not a problem because we can just ask," Shuttleworth added, "But if it's bad then we have to presume the worst. If it's at night they have to get the police helicopter out to look for heat signatures."

Hall added: "It's not an urban myth – removing that sign could save paramedics' time, and could save a life."