Coastguard frees man stuck in mud

Updated

A man has been freed after becoming stranded in mud at Weston-super-Mare.

The coastguard received an emergency call at 2.00pm on Friday that a man was struggling in mud near the Grand Pier at the popular Somerset seaside resort.

A rescue boat and helicopter scrambled to help the man, who was knee-deep in the mud and had exhausted himself trying to escape.

Rescue teams from Weston-super-Mare, Burnham and Clevedon used specialised equipment which injected air and water in the mud surrounding the man to free him.

Unharmed, but cold and wet, the man was taken to shore and assessed by paramedics.

Coastguard spokesman Ian Thomas said: "Getting stuck in mud can be a terrifying experience. The tide at Weston-super-Mare comes in very quickly and flows through gullies at enormous speed.

"The teams did a great job of extracting the man and although he was cold and wet, he was uninjured.

"We would advise members of the public to take great care around estuarial mud and not to take risks near it.

"If you do become stuck in mud at the coast, spread your weight as much as possible, try not to struggle and call 999 immediately."

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