For mud rescue call 999 and ask for the Coastguard

This afternoon in Newquay a woman got stuck in the mud on the Crantock side of the river Gannel. The Spring tide was coming in fast and the woman had been stuck for a while.

Coastguard Rescue Teams from Falmouth and Newquay, the Coastguard rescue helicopter, the Police, Ambulance, Fire and Rescue and the RNLI were all informed and making their way to the woman, who was cold and running out of time.

Matt Rogers from UK Coastguard, said

This woman was recovered by a member of the public just in time. She had about 10 minutes before the tide would have swamped her.

Its vital people know to call 999 and ask for the Coastguard who are specifically trained and equipped to deal with mud rescue.

People can easily find themselves in soft ground either when the surface is so soft that they simply sink to a point where movement becomes impossible, or they break through a layer of relatively firm mud into a soft bubble, when the person tries to pull their legs free they create a vacuum underneath their feet and around the legs which prevents escape and further movement can make the situation worse. 

One immediate measure that can be taken to prevent sinking further is to sit on the surface of the mud, thus spreading the load and may reduce further risk to injured casualties.


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