A fresher at King’s College was trapped in the refurbished ensuite of his college room for 38 hours, Varsity understands.

Held hostage by a faulty door handle merely hours into Freshers’ Week, the once bright-eyed Fresher was only freed when discovered by a bedder completing a routine clean. But by then, he had already missed matriculation.

A well-connected source told Varsity: “It was [Freshers’ Week] so no one knew him and he didn’t have his phone, which I think contributed to why it took so long for him to get out, which only happened when the cleaner came in on Monday.

“He slept in the shower space and when he tried banging on the walls for attention, his neighbour heard it but just thought it was a weird guy so ignored it”.

The fresher was reportedly put on bed rest following the ordeal, suffering bad bruising to his chest from his attempts to break the door open.

The fresher’s baptism of fire alarmed many in first year. One King’s student told Varsity: "I think everyone who heard it was shocked, it's a really horrendous thing for someone to experience especially so early in their first year.

"I was also quite disappointed by the college for providing accommodation where something like this could happen, especially when there have been other issues with renovations recently".

The incident has raised questions about the safety of the rooms following the refurbishment. According to sources, King’s College has since individually checked all the door handles in the Keynes' Building.

The Keynes' Building is on the college's main site, housing 96 rooms with adjoining ensuites. The accommodation primarily serves Freshers.

According to the website 'Made in Britain', "the internal refurbishment of the existing Keynes Building [was] being undertaken to provide cohesive and accessible accommodation for King’s College’s undergraduate students.

"Ensuring work was carried out on time was critical, due to the impending arrival of students at the start of the new academic year".

King’s College declined to comment (17/01).