Six people pulled from mud flats by emergency services in 'back-breaking' three-hour rescue

Six people have been rescued by emergency services after getting stuck in mud flats near a holiday park.

Coastguards were called to the scene below Naish Holiday Park in Barton-on-Sea, Hampshire, just after 5pm on Saturday to reports of a person trapped in the mud.

In a statement Southbourne Coastguard said: “On locating the incident and the casualty it was soon apparent that there was actually six persons trapped in the mud, with two of them badly trapped.”

They said that the people had been cut off by the tides and had tried to climb the mud banks, getting stuck.

The rescue comes just weeks after firefighters rescued two dolphins after they became stuck in mud near Standford-le-Hope in Essex.

The coastguard said mud and water rescue experts attended and were joined by Hampshire Fire & Rescue Service and Dorset & Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service as well as ambulances.

The rescue involved “three hours back-breaking work” digging the people out of the mud, Poole coastguard said.

They were eventually extracted and taken to waiting ambulances to be assessed and taken to hospital for further assessment due to the effects of having pressure on their legs for so long, they said.

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In a statement, HM Coastguard said a 999 call from a member of the public just after 5pm on Saturday reporting someone stuck waist-deep in mud at Barton-on-Sea had sparked rescue teams, police, firefighters and ambulances to be sent to the scene.

“When the coastguard teams arrived it soon became clear that more people had become stuck whilst attempting to help,” the statement said.

“Specialist Coastguard mud rescue technicians, with help from Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue’s mud team spent over three hours digging the people out,” it went on.

“In total six people had become stuck, with three needing to be dug free from the mud, all were recovered safe and well.

Ben Hambling, Duty Controller for HM Coastguard said: “If you become stuck in mud try to stay calm and spread your weight as much as possible, avoid moving and call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

“If you see someone who has become stuck please don’t try to rescue them yourself, without specialist equipment you can easily become stuck too, which is exactly what happened here.

“Remember if you see anyone in difficulty at sea or along the coast call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.”