A terrified toddler had to be dragged to safety and then fell unconscious after he and his family started sinking in quicksand.
The two-year-old now suffers from nightmares after the traumatic experience at Crosby beach in Merseyside.
Mum Marnie-Rae Harvey took her son Frank to play by the sea on Tuesday.
The 22-year-old parent made it a big day out and they were also joined by her mum, dad and sister, who were all visiting from Stoke-on-Trent.
But things took a harrowing turn when the family started sinking in quicksand - and they want to raise more awareness about the quicksand in the area.
Catherine Harvey, Frank’s nan, told the LiverpoolEcho, about the harrowing moment they realised things were getting serious.
She said: “We arrived at the beach and decided to have a walk around so we were walking around and Frank was holding his grandad’s hand.
"All of a sudden his foot sank down and he lost his shoe.
“We ran across to get it and Frank started to go down more, then Marnie tried to drag him but she was going down herself, then I was going down. All four of us were just stuck.”
She said luckily her husband managed to get the ‘strength’ to get out but the rest of the family were still sinking.
The 48-year-old added: “We were on our hands and knees and we were just going down, it was right up to our waist, my face was in it. We thought that was it.
“My husband had got out and ran around and passersby were shouting and coming to help.
“It was up to Frank’s shoulders at this point. It was a traumatic experience.”
The nan said after some time they ‘luckily’ managed to find the strength to get out - but then Frank took a turn for the worse.
She said: “We were all sat on the beach in shock, Frank had to get all his clothes off then he went into shock his eyes were rolling he was shaking and everything.
“We had no phones, we had lost the bag in the mud, we lost everything, so we were just screaming for help.
“Our phones, towels, trainers, purses, everything was swallowed up by the mud but we weren’t going back in for it.”
She added: “He is having nightmares and waking up shouting ‘I’m stuck help!’
“He does seem a bit better now but it has traumatised him.”
After getting out of the mud, the family said Frank started ‘going unconscious’ because of the shock.
They rushed him to Crosby Leisure Centre to get help, Catherine said: “We were all covered head to toe and shaking. Frank was going unconscious at this point.
“We just ran, got all the strength we could and ran to the leisure centre. We thought he was going.
“But thankfully as soon as we got there the young girl rang an ambulance and showered him all down and she said he was in shock so she gave him biscuits and allowed us all to shower off, they were absolutely brilliant.”
Marnie-Rae Harvey posted to Facebook to warn others, she said: “Do not recommend taking your kids to Crosby Beach.
“We took Frank yesterday one minute we were just walking across the beach.
“The next we are stuck in the sinking sand up to our shoulders, Frank was covered up to his neck. We were all trying to drag him out.”
