A young boy had to be rescued by firefighters after he got trapped in mud up to his waist while walking his dog on the coast. The child hit a 'soft spot' and began to sink before passers-by raised the alarm.
The incident happened at Clevedon Pill in Somerset. The boy's dog had run onto the mud and he walked out on to the foreshore to bring it back - which is when the mud started to swallow him up.
Local people called 999 for help and when crews arrived the dog had already raced home, leaving the child stranded, SomersetLive reports. Firefighters were joined by coastguard crews to rescue the boy using specialist mud rescue equipment.
The child, who lived nearby, was washed down with a fire hose before being wrapped in a blanket. He was uninjured.
Portishead Coastguard station officer Barry Darbon said: "The boy was out walking his dog when it went onto the mud. The boy was only about 10 metres out on the mud when he became stuck. Two mud technicians went on to the mud to get the boy out.
"This incident just proves that even if mud looks solid, you never know whether there is an air pocket in the mud that could pop and trap you. People should understand that walking out on the mud can be very dangerous."
Anyone who spots someone in trouble along the coast should call 999 and ask for the coastguard.
