A Sefton mum says she and her son are "lucky to be alive" after being smashed against a wall when the tide came in suddenly on Crosby beach.
Zoe Robotham had gone to the beach near to Crosby leisure centre with her partner Justin and sons Karl, 15 and Haydn, 11 on Wednesday when she and Haydn were caught up in a strong tide which pushed them over a concrete wall and into sinking sand.
Her husband and eldest rushed to their aid but struggled to reach the pair due to the force of the water. Luckily two strangers dived into the water to help rescue them.
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Zoe said it was 'one of the scariest things' to have happened to her and wants to warn others of the dangers of sudden incoming tide at the beach, something she says she hadn't known about before visiting.
Zoe said: "It is literally one of the scariest things I have ever experienced.
"We'd got in the car when my partner finished work, at about half five and when we got to the beach there were a lot of people around and in the water.
"We saw part of the concrete wall and went to go on one side when we realised it was sinking mud, slushy stuff so we went on the side everyone was on and thought we'd be safe.
"We were all playing and there were other people and children around us and basically within seconds the tide totally turned.
"The water level went from my bikini line up to my neck so fast and me and my son were getting smashed against a concrete wall.
"We got dragged over that side of the wall with the sinking sand and I couldn't get my footing.
"My partner managed to get hold of my youngest son and my eldest was trying to get to us and I'm screaming at the top of my voice.
"Then two amazing men jumped in, they helped my partner with my youngest, and my eldest was still trying to get to us.
"As soon as I saw my youngest was safe I had no energy left, I had nothing.
"I'm so grateful to the men who came to save us, they risked themselves to help, and they had families of their own. They were amazing."
Zoe says her family were 'the lucky ones' only finding out later that the stretch is known as an area where the tide can rush in suddenly, following the tragic death of Hamza Mansoor the day before.
She said: "We've got bruises and our legs are cut up but that's nothing compared to what happened.
"I posted about it on Facebook after it happened. A lot of people are saying it's our own fault.
"I'm 42 and I'm not too proud to say I don't know everything.
"People have said I should have checked the tide before we went, but I didn't know anything about how quickly it could come in there, we don't go to the beach very often.
"When I was younger we used to go to a beach on holiday where they would have a tannoy system to let people know they needed to come out the sea or there would be flags up, I don't know, I just obviously wouldn't have gone in if we'd known it would be so dangerous.
"My son was in a safe height for him, but we found out later the spot we were actually in the tide doesn't come in straight.
"I got told that at that particular place it comes in round and drags you back, I didn't know. As a mother all you want is your children to be safe.
"If it wasn't for those two strange men who put their lives at risk, I don't know what could have happened.
"I've always respected the tide, it's something you're not in control of, like fire or water, but there was nothing to indicate. If you don't know the tide changes so fast, it's very dangerous.
"If there's anything, even the simplest thing just to warn people, I don't know what it would take. It's really scary and that's why I'm trying to raise awareness."
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