Man rescued from mud at Weston-super-Mare

A man who was stuck in mud at Weston-super-Mare this afternoon was freed from his predicament by coastguard rescue teams with assistance from a rescue boat and the Coastguard rescue helicopter from St Athan.

The UK Coastguard received a 999 call at 2.00pm to report that a man was stuck in mud and struggling near the Grand Pier at Weston-super-Mare.

Weston-super-Mare, Burnham and Clevedon Coastguard Rescue Teams, the Burnham Area Rescue Boat and the Coastguard rescue helicopter from St Athan were all called to assist the man who was knee deep in the mud and had become exhausted with struggling to free himself.

The Coastguard rescue teams worked to extract the man from the mud using specialised equipment which injects air and water around the person so that they can be freed. The rescue boat provided a platform to make the operation even more efficient. Once the man had been recovered to shore he was assessed by the helicopter’s winchman and was handed over to the land ambulance.

Ian Thomas, for the UK Coastguard said:

“Getting stuck in mud can be a terrifying experience. The tide at Weston-super-Mare comes in very quickly and flows through gullies at enormous speed. The teams did a great job of extracting the man and although he was cold and wet he was uninjured.


“We would advise members of the public to take great care around estuarial mud and not to take risks near it. If you do become stuck in mud at the coast, spread your weight as much as possible, try not to struggle and call 999 immediately.”

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