Boy saved from sinking mud after becoming trapped while walking dog

A boy has been saved after getting stuck up to his waist in mud while walking his dog on the Somerset coast.

The child had been out walking his pet dog on Clevedon Pill when the animal ran onto the mud on Monday.

The boy promptly followed his pet in an attempt to retrieve it and became stuck.

Fire crews were called after concerned locals called 999 for help as they noticed the boy, who had started to sink.

When crews arrived, the dog had run home and left his owner stuck.

Firefighters and coastguard crews worked to rescue him using specialist mud rescue equipment.

The child, who lived locally, was washed down with a fire hose before being wrapped in a blanket. He was uninjured.

Walking on mud ‘can be very dangerous’

Barry Darbon, a Portishead Coastguard station officer, said: “The boy was out walking his dog when it went onto the mud.

“He was only about 10 metres out on the mud when he became stuck.

“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.”