Teen in dramatic beach rescue after becoming stuck waist-deep in sand

Stock photo, the beach at Seaton Carew: PA

A teenager has had a lucky escape after he became stuck waist-deep in sand - with the tide rising at a fast rate.

The 16-year-old sank in soft sand and became stuck when his foot got wedged under a rock after wading out to help two younger members of his family on Seaton Carew beach in Hartlepool, Cleveland.

He was stuck to the spot for an hour and 15 minutes - with the tide rising around him - while fire chiefs and Hartlepool RNLI volunteers worked hard to extricate him.

Mark Barker was the first volunteer on the scene, and told the Daily Mail: 'He was trapped in the sand with the tide coming in fast.

'At first he was quite calm, but he began to panic a little with the shock and the fact the sea was rising.'

A water jet was used to loosen the sand around the boy's feet, while RNLI divers tried to free him.

Once freed, he was taken to the University Hospital of North Tees in Stockton, where he was treated for mild hypothermia.

Experts said that the boy was 'very lucky' and explained that if the call had come 30 minutes later, it could have been a very different situation.