At 15 minutes past three this afternoon Humber Coastguard received an emergency 999 call from a mobile phone held by an adult female who reported that she was stuck in mud at Pleasure Island on the south side of Cleethorpes. Initially the lady from Lincoln on a day trip to the area with her family had gone to assist her two children who themselves had become stuck but had soon freed themselves. Two men then came to the woman's assistance and had became stuck fast themselves. 

Mike Puplett, Watch officer at Humber Coastguard who took the call and remained on the line for 3/4 hour keeping everyone calm takes up the story; 

"At first the three adults were stuck only up to their shins but it quickly became apparent that they were sinking fast and were soon up to their knees. The area is well known for being marshy and swampy with sand dunes throughout. In the past many people have been cut off by the tide locally and the Coastguard have helped them to safety." 

As the tide turned and came in with great rapidity it soon became clear that they needed assistance quickly and a rescue helicopter R 128 from RAF Leconfield was scrambled to help. Our Coastguard Rescue Team from Cleethorpes was sent to the area and the RNLI in-shore lifeboat from Cleethorpes was also requested to launch although they had problems coming in close to the people who were stuck because of the level of water and mud. 

"The mobile phone was eventually passed to a fifth person, an adult female who herself had tried to come to the rescue and had also become stuck. Our first informant had begun to panic and hyperventilate as the sea had started to flood and was surrounding them and began lapping round their legs. We endeavoured to keep them all calm and assure them that help was on its way." 

As the helicopter arrived members of the public, our Coastguard Team, beach lifeguards and the lifeboatmen who had jumped out of their boat, all began pulling together, and grabbing whatever they could hauled all five out of the heavy, sticky, glutinous mud. 

"When the five were pulled to safety the lady who had made the initial call collapsed and was assisted by a local ambulance crew who were on scene. Our thanks are also due to the Fire Brigade who also arrived to lend assistance. The helicopter remained flying above the area throughout the incident keeping an eye in case the aircraft was needed in an emergency. The weather today has been south-easterly winds at 15 knots with overcast skies and damp conditions.

"Our concern for holidaymakers and day-trippers alike is that they must be aware that the local area may seem safe to the eye but it is only the top part of the mud that has dried in the sun, but when it cracks open in the dry weather can reveal the dangerous and deep mud underneath."

Liverpool Coastguard were alerted at 5pm today by Sarah Haydon, 17, that her boyfriend was stuck shoulder deep in the mud with a rising tide 1KM west of the Coastguard station in Crosby. 

The Coastguard immediately despatched staff from the Coastguard Station along with the specialist Coastguard Mud Rescue Team from Crosby. When they arrived on scene it became evident time was of the essence. 

With the New Brighton RNLI inshore lifeboat on scene the man was speedily extricated by the Coastguard and members of the public and was transferred by lifeboat to a waiting ambulance suffering no more than hypothermia. 

Liverpool Coastguard Watch Manager, Mike Roberts said: 

"The presence of mind shown by Sarah undoubtedly saved her boyfriends life; calling the Coastguard in any sea or coastal emergency with such speed allows us those vital seconds that in this case meant so much to this stranded young man."

Anna unfortunatly did step into quicksand and sunk quite quick. Jompe rushed to the little girl, while the other two girls tried to call him back. They thought the dog had misunderstood the situation and wanted to play. But Jompe did not want to play. He took a solid grip with his mouth in the shoulder of little Anna's jacket and pulled her up from the quicksand and into safety. 

When the three girls came running home and told me what had happened, you can bet that I was real proud of my beloved Jompe. 

Police officers used a riot shield to help rescue two young boys dangerously trapped in sinking mud at a West Belfast building site. They used the shield to kneel and stand upon as they reached the terrified boys struggling desperately to save themselves going under last night. They were chest-high in the mud at the time. Anthony Smyth and Daniel Lowry, both aged 12, had climbed over a high wire fence to retrieve a football when they got into trouble in the mud. 

Neighbours heard their cries for help and a passing four-man police patrol was alerted. The four officers sledge hammered their way through the fence and managed to make it across to the boys using a riot shield, but they were unable to drag them away. Minutes later Anthony's father, who had a spade, arrived with firemen and together with the police dug the boys out. 

Later one of the policemen Constable Dessie McClure, 35, said the boys were lucky to get out. He said: 

"We were that close to an nightmare scenario. It was as if they were in quicksand and if we had been any later we could have had an awful tragedy. 

"The nearer we got to the boys, the deeper the mud and we had to be very careful ourselves. But we reassured them, told them not to worry and we would have them out as quickly as possible. We all used our bare hands to dig them out."

A TEENAGER feared for his life as he battled to free himself from a muddy quagmire.

Paul Campbell had gone to retrieve a football from a building site off Limefield Brow, Bury, when he sank in mud first up to his knees and then, as he struggled, up to his chest.

The 14-year-old said: "Every time I tried to pull myself clear I sank deeper into it. I was panicking. I was slowly sinking and feared I would go right under."

Fortunately for Paul, his pal Steven Brooks grabbed a nearby ladder and laid it across the mud to allow Paul, of New Cateaton Street, to cling to it for support.
Steven (15), of Cornfield Close, then used his mobile phone to call the fire brigade to the scene at the site.

Bury leading fireman Gary Costin said: "We created a platform with our ladders, dug down the mud by hand and used brute force to free the boy."

Paul, a pupil at Derby High School, was hauled from the mud on to the ladders and was taken to Bury General Hospital for treatment to an ankle injury before being allowed home.

"It was like a laugh at first, but when I saw Paul sinking further I became worried," added Steven, a pupil of Bury CE High School.

Paul's trainers are still stuck in the mud pit which firefighters discovered was 12ft deep.

Paul said: "When the mud reached my chest I felt more solid ground beneath my feet and I wasn't sinking as fast.

"Steven did really well to react as quick as he did and I thank him. The situation could have been a lot worse."

Both boys received a stern warning from the housing development bosses to keep away from the site for their own safety.

Meanwhile, Bury Council is investigating the safety aspects of the site. A spokesman said: "We will make an assessment whether this site falls under health and safety at work legislation.

"If it does, then we will notify the Health and Safety Executive.".

Seaside visitors were warned today to beware of dangerous soft mud on the East Coast after a girl was sucked chest-deep while on holiday at Filey.

Steve Kinroy, watch manager for the Humber Coastguard, said rescuers were called out to Hunmanby Gap, near Filey, yesterday afternoon, when two girls, aged 12 and 13, got stuck in the treacherous slime while making their way down to the beach by a cliff path.

One girl was stuck in the mud up to her chest.

"These girls managed to free themselves before we got there, but they were very lucky indeed," he said.

"The recent rains have dislodged a lot of mud, which is very soft and the suction can pull people down.

"People should be careful to take the proper footpaths down to the beach, not short cuts."

He said it was the fourth incident this year, including one where a woman had been stuck in the mud in an isolated spot for eight hours before anyone saw her to call for help.

The coastguards would be working with local councils to make sure signs were put up warning people about the dangers of the mud, he said.

A 10-YEAR-OLD boy trapped up to his waist in a muddy river bed was rescued just moments before he passed out from the cold.

Christian Wheadon, of Fair View Road, Burnley, was playing on the banks of the River Calder at Padiham yesterday afternoon with his young cousins Christopher, Nathan and Shane Holding when he became lodged in the mud which sucked him in up to his waist.

His aunt Catherine Holding, who lives in Elizabeth Street, Padiham, said: "I tried to get him out and his grandfather Robert tried but he was stuck fast.

"He was laughing about it until the firefighters arrived and then he started to get worried. There was water all around him and he was freezing.

"When they finally pulled him out he was groggy and falling asleep and his legs were hurting him from the pressure of the mud and cold." Paramedic Mark Cox said: "He was absolutely petrified. The suction of the mud had pulled him right in and he couldn't move.

"Children don't realise the dangers but it could have turned quite nasty. The water was freezing.

"By the time we got him out he was on the verge of hypothermia and passed out in the ambulance.

"If he had done that while still in the water he would have gone in head first and that would have been that."

Firefighters from Padiham were hooked up to rescue lines before wading into the water to dig out Christian's legs while the paramedic kept him talking and monitored his vital signs.

Christian was taken to Burnley General Hospital, but was allowed home after treatment.

Catherine added: "I have warned my children not to go near the river in future, but it is like a magnet especially when it gets hot - they don't realise how cold the water is.

"If it happened to anyone it would have been to Christian because he is accident prone."

Christian, who lives with his grandparents was none the worse for his ordeal but was kept home from St Stephen's School today.

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (AP) -- Johnny Simmons intended to go fishing in Juden Creek, not be fished out of it. 

But chest-high mud turned the 15-year-old into a prize catch for paramedics on Sunday after the Missouri teen-ager sank into the creek on a warm winter day. Rescuing him took three hours. 

Heavy rain the day before left the creek's banks quite muddy, but Simmons and two friends decided to fish there anyway. Temperatures were in the 60s, and Simmons wore only a T-shirt, blue jeans and cowboy boots. 

Simmons first spent about 90 minutes trying to dig himself out, using logs and tree branches for leverage. Then he sent friends for help. 

But even 20 rescuers had trouble: Simmons was in 41/2 feet deep. 

"As we would dig, (mud) would start to ooze back around him," said Mark Hasheider, a fire chief who led the rescue. 

Eventually, plywood was wedged beneath Simmons, and he was freed by late evening, cold but uninjured. 

During a very busy day for Liverpool Coastguard, two separate mud rescues involved the Hoylake Coastguard rescue team.

As thousands of people flocked to the New Brighton Show on the Wirral, a girl of thirteen was spotted at just after 6.15 p.m. this evening stuck in mud by groynes close to the Show at Portland Island. Two friends attempted to assist the girl and pull her free but were unsuccessful in their efforts and instead one of the girls became stuck herself. A local policeman was called but he in turn also became stuck himself.

The Hoylake Coastguard Rescue Team were called with their specialist mud rescue gear but luckily the local Fire Brigade who were first to arrive on scene were able to pull the people free from the mud and return them to the safety of the shoreline. 

As all units were returning to their bases at just after 7.00 p.m. it became evident to the people who were clearing up on shore that on the other side of the Island a further four people had also become stuck. This time, the Smith family from Liverpool with two adults a male and female aged 23 and 22 respectively, and their two children aged six and two, were in evident danger.

The Fire Service were called back to the shoreline and Liverpool Coastguard alerted the New Brighton in-shore lifeboat and the Hoylake Coastguard team returned to the scene. As the incoming tide lapped around their waists the four people were extricated from the gooey mud and delivered safely back to the rescue services ashore by the lifeboat crew.

Paul Parkes, Watch Manager at Liverpool Coastguard said:

"It has been a gloriously sunny day locally with clear blue skies and a fresh wind blowing. Undoubtedly people were attracted into the Island area to watch the air displays at the Show and mudflats which can look initially look safe to the eye can be treacherous as these people found out today. Our advice is always to be cautious in areas where mud exists by the shoreline as it can trap the unwary like glue. 

"In other incidents in a very busy day three young male swimmers were swept up the River Kent estuary between Arnside and Silverdale. Luckily by the time the rescue services were on their way a member of the public had dived in and rescued them and later this evening a major search began for a missing angler who thankfully turned up later safe and sound."

Coxswain Collin Olden (50) and crew member Gary Olden (28) of Hamble Inshore rescue, an independent rescue service, are to be awarded the Thanks of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution inscribed on Vellum, for saving the life of 12 year-old Steven Tucker, who was stuck in the mud and in danger of drowning on 19 July 1997. 

The RNLI's Executive Committee, meeting in London yesterday, have also awarded a Vellum Service Certificate to crew member Michael Stanier (34) for his part in the rescue. 

Coxswain Collin Olden drove the rigid inflatable rescue craft onto the mud in order to reach the boy, who had only his head and right shoulder showing above the mud. However, the boat was still 45 ft away. Gary Olden quickly put on a safety harness, with a line attached, and slid onto the mud, sinking to the middle of his thighs. He managed to swim over the mud and reach the boy, who was exhausted and unable to help himself. With a supreme effort, Gary Olden dug out the boy's legs, pulled him clear, and flipped onto his back so that he could hold the boy on his chest. Collin Olden and Michael Stanier pulled them both over the mud and hauled them into the boat. By now, the incoming tide had almost refloated the boat and Coxswain Olden was able to go astern and clear the mud. 

In his official report, Leslie Vipond, divisional inspector of lifeboats for the South says; 'Hamble Inshore Rescue was launched in a very short time to aid the boy who was firmly stuck in deep mud. Due to his struggles he was almost overwhelmed and was unable to assist himself. He could have been drowned by the incoming tide. Coxswain Collin Olden demonstrated superb judgement, fine seamanship, and a thorough knowledge of the capabilities of his boat, in mounting the mud to get closer to the boy. Crewman Gary Olden showed considerable courage in adapting his swimming skills to the unusual set of circumstances confronting him. His physical strength was sorely tried. The service was of short duration and, though carried out in very calm weather conditions, was executed in the very best traditions of lifeboatmen. It required determination and considerable flare to save the life of the boy". 

The RNLI operates 220 lifeboat stations throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland. However, there are a small number of independent boats which also act as declared rescue facilities and are co-ordinated by The Coastguard Agency. 

There are ten such organisations in the Solent and the RNLI is pleased to recognise their contribution to saving life at sea. 

LUCKY-to-be-alive Christian Wheadon visited Padiham fire station to say thank you to the men who rescued from him from a terrifying ordeal.

Christian, 10, was trapped to his waist in clinging mud and had water up to his shoulders after slipping down a bank into the River Calder at Padiham.

"I am just grateful to the people who rescued me,'' said Christian. "It was really frightening; the water was freezing.''

Christian of Fair View Road, Burnley, was at the fire station with his grandfather Robert Holding.

Leading firefighter Nick Sutcliffe said the Fire and Rescue Service wanted to warn others of the dangerous mud at the River Calder at the end of Park Road, Padiham.

He said: "There is a lot of spare land around there. Christian was playing when he slipped down a bank into the mud and water. "It sucked him in and he was in mud up to his waist and with water up to his shoulders. He was terrified and was suffering from hypothermia.

"He was within minutes of losing consciousness and can remember little or nothing of being in the ambulance or at the hospital. He is a very lucky lad.''

Mr Sutcliffe, firefighter Chris O'Brien and leading firefighter Duncan Brown, with colleagues holding on to safety lines, dug for half an hour before Christian was dragged free.

Twelve firefighters and paramedics from Altham helped in the rescue and treatment of Christian who amazingly suffered no ill effects.

He was in the mud and water for an hour before the emergency services arrived.
Mr Sutcliffe said: "Others had tried to rescue him before we arrived. Our advice always is for people to call us out straight away.

"We would rather arrive to find that a situation had been resolved rather than turn up late and be faced with a possible tragedy.''

Christian was shown around the fire station and inspected the fire appliances and equipment used to help in his rescue.

Thomas Richard Flowers, six year old son of Mr. and Mrs. T.F. Flowers, 1112 South Vaden was drowned Friday in three feet of water after sinking to his waist in quicksand in Post Oak Creek, off West Center Street. Policemen, firemen 
and Texas Power and Light Company employees worked with the boy over two hours in an unsuccessful attempt to revive him. He was pronounced dead at 4 p.m. by Jim Spandler, Justice of the Peace, who held an inquest.. 

Mrs. Flowers told officers she found the child stuck in quicksand with his head under the water after she answered screams of her four year old daughter and nephew who had been wading with the boy. The children had wandered from the home of Mrs. Flowers' sister, Mrs. F.M. Brown, 621 South Binkley. 

Attempting to revive the child were ambulance drivers from Waldo and Barrett Funeral Homes; Firemen, W.T. Dollins and Jake Helbach, Ira Allen, F.I. Whaley, Bob McAfee and O.L. Lumpkins; T.P.& L. employees and policemen, A.M. Kile and Bobby Jefferson. Oxygen was administered from the city fire department resuscitator. 

Funeral services will be held Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at the Pentacostal Church, 300 South Maxey, conducted by the paster, the Rev. J.E. Lamb. Burial will be in Cedarlawn Memorial Park under the direction of the Barrett Funeral Home. 

The boy was born September 3, 1945 in Sherman, Texas. Pallbearers will be T.P.& L. employees who attempted to save the boy's life. Survivors are his parents; a sister, Patricia Flowers, grandparents; Mr. and Mrs. J.L. 
Flowers and Mrs. W.A. Good. 

Liverpool Coastguard received a call at just before 3.25pm on 5 January 2001 informing them that a schoolgirl had fallen into sinking sand on a Merseyside beach as the tide swept in. 

Lauren Madigan, 12, was minutes from tragedy after a walk along Crosby beach went horribly wrong. Lauren was visiting the area with friend Claire Sutton and Claire's parents and as the two girls ran towards the water, Lauren suddenly disappeared. She had fallen into a gulley and was slowly sinking deeper into the sand.  Crosby BeachClaire and her mum Gaynor tried desperately to get her free.
A coastguard rescue unit finally pulled her free using specialist sledges and lances to ease her from the quicksand after she had sunk up to her waist.

Lauren said, "I had just been running along with Claire when all of a sudden I fell through the sand. I thought at first that I would just step out, but once my leg was in the sand I just couldn't budge it.

"I could feel myself getting pulled down and it was frightening at first, but I kept saying to myself 'It will be all right - I will get out'.

"I was relieved when the coastguards arrived and got me free. I want to say thank you to them for saving my life."

Gaynor Sutton said: "We thought that we could get Lauren out of the quicksand but she just began sinking deeper.

"We started to panic and my husband called the police on his mobile phone."

Michael said: "We were so relieved to see the coastguard. They arrived so quickly. If it had been another 10 minutes this could have been a tragedy."

Liverpool Coastguard watch manager Ged Lynch said the youngster could count herself lucky.

He added: "The call came in that a young girl was trapped in the sand just before 3.25pm.

"The girl was trapped up to the top of her thighs. She was quite relaxed and calm.

"Our mud rescue team took along sledges and lances. The lances were used to pump water around the girl's body to liquify the sand around her.

"All the time we were working to get her out, the tide was quickly starting to come in.

"This young girl was very lucky indeed.

"Another 10 minutes or so and the tide may have covered her."

Police and ambulance crews were on stand-by and a helicopter had been alerted in case the youngster needed to be airlifted to hospital

"Mr Johnston, Miss Voss!" screamed a dozen voices as a group of children appeared at the staffroom door, "Wendy's caught in the swamp."

Neil was chatting to Kelly and Sarah who, as usual, had brought the baby over to school at lunchtime. He leaped to his feet as the jabber of voices, distressed voices, all spoke at once.

"Simmer down!" he snapped and glanced at the eldest child there. "John, you tell me."

"Wendy's stuck in the swamp," the ten year old explained in a panicky voice. "Right up to her neck, Mr Johnston. You have to come!"

"Right," Neil replied .

He broke into a run down the tiny corridor and out to the playground. Just about the whole school was there and parted to let him through. After racing across the football field,he leapt over the end gate and into the small school pines plantation that covered a steep bank down to a gully. Neil almost slid to the bottom and pushed his way through a thick undergrowth of creeper to the school boundary fence.

He could hear screaming and shouting before Wendy came into view.

Three other senior pupils were over the fence and in knee deep stagnant water. This was the notorious swamp in the neighbour's property. Neil's eyes, though, were on the sobbing thirteen year old girl who was further out in a circle of grey gunk. The green slime across the rest of the surface had been moved by her thrashing body and, even as he watched, the clinging ooze splashed across her mouth.

Neil turned to the senior children. "Go back and ask Miss Voss or Mrs Woolstone to get the school extension ladder. It is in my car shed," he ordered. "Understand?"

"We're here," Kelly called out. She stood by the fence with a long skipping rope in her hand. "We'll get it."

Neil turned and waded in as far as the pupils had and stopped. He knew that if he went further he could very well be sucked down himself. Once caught like Wendy, there was no way to get free. Only a few weeks previously a cow had got caught in the swamp and was sucked under before anyone knew where it was.

Wendy still had her two arms out and was trying to use them like a swimmer to propel herself forward but only succeeded in being sucked further in. A long whimpering cry of sheer terror filled the air.

"Stop it, Wendy!" Neil snapped in his most formidable voice. "Put your arms out wide and stop thrashing around.

"Mr Johnston!" screamed the girl and thrashed harder.

"Stop it, Wendy!" Neil commanded. "Stop it!"

Wendy's terrified eyes looked at him but she obeyed.

Her arms went wide. She dropped, mud covered her chin and she immediately started to panic again. Arms flung wildly and waves of mud shot out in huge circles. Neil edged forward but his own front foot began to sink. He turned and found a hand gripping his. It was Kelly.

"I've got you, Neil," she panted. "Sarah's taken some senior children to get the ladder."

Neil glanced up and saw a line of children behind the fence. Two girls were cuddling Alexia but closer, Kelly was bending across the mud with an arm outstretched. Behind her, holding her other hand were Joanne and Keith, two more senior pupils.

"Thanks," Neil replied and turned back to Wendy.

She was in a desperate situation. Only one arm now remained free and,only by tipping her head back did she succeed in getting the front of her face out of the ooze. She had stopped screaming but the petrified eyes focused on Neil and a wide mouth spat out mud. This told him everything.

"My hand!"Neil forced himself to remain calm. "When I reach for you grab my wrist, not just my fingers. Understand!"

"Yes, Mr Johnston," Wendy sobbed.

"Reach for me, Wendy!"

Neil leaned forward but she was out of reach. He stepped forward, found something firm under his front foot and moved towards the girl.

"I can't reach!" she screamed as her head went down.

My God, she was going under!

"My leg. Grab my legs," he screamed back at Kelly and plunged forward like a swimmer doing a belly flop into the swimming pool.

Cold stinking mud gripped him and he could feel the octopus like suck on his skin. Again he forced himself to relax and the downward sucking pressure seemed to slackened slightly. But where was Wendy!

Holly shit, there was only a mob of hair visible.

He plunged forward with outstretched hands fanning out in the girl's direction. She was there! He had her under the armpits.

With all the strength he could muster, he lifted her girl but the action immediately forced him down. Stinking mud was sliding up his nose choking him. Neil knew, though, that if he let Wendy go there would never be another chance! He shut his eyes, held his breath and yanked.

God! She was a heavy girl and it was all dead weight.

He could sense someone pulling him, perhaps two people, and he found he could see the sky and suck in oxygen. Then right in front of him almost touching his nose was the mud covered face of his pupil. Her eyes were alive and so close they were out of focus.

"Around my neck, Wendy!" he spluttered. "Put you arm around my neck." He tried to smile. "Don't choke me, though."

Two arms seized him. Wendy must have succeeded in getting them both free. She clung on and almost pushed him under again. Neil was vertical now but there was nothing firm beneath to support his weight. He grunted with exertion, gripped her body and lifted. My God she moved. He lifted again and found he was looking at her neck and hair; hair caked with the grey mud.

He took a calculated risk and let his arms slide down to grip Wendy's waist but the hold was not firm. Oh hell, he was going to lose her again.

In another desperate plunge he reached down further and found a leg, what part he wasn't sure but he held her and heaved. More mud covered his face so he took another breath as the suffocating ooze reached his nose. At the same time he pulled rather than pushed and found Wendy's waist plastered into his face. That was good. She must be half out of the water.

"Go on my beauty," he thought rather than spoke and managed to the surface with the girl firmly held around the legs. He could hear her sobbing and another voice.

"The rope! Grab the rope." It was Kelly calling.

He saw a circle of rope lying on the mud but both hands were still holding Wendy. He couldn't let go! But she had calmed a little, was rational and managed to reach out to grab the rope.

"Put it under your arms, Wendy," Kelly called. "Loop it under your arms!"

The girl managed this manoeuvre and Neil saw her being pulled towards shore. Only then did he let her legs go and reached further down. His two cupped hands found a foot and he heaved. The momentum plunged Wendy forward into Kelly's waiting arms.

Neil's heard a sort of swish and saw the ladder splash down in front of him. He grabbed it and finally managed to see what was happening. Sandra and the pupils had placed the extension ladder diagonally across the corner of the swamp. He could see it leaning on the solid bank but had no idea what was at the other end.

Words he couldn't comprehend were being called out and he realised the ladder was firm. Kelly, stood chest deep in the swamp with Wendy held in a sort of swimming rescue hold.

"Right, Wendy," Neil spluttered. "We'll lift and you try to roll onto the ladder. Okay."

"Yes, Mr Johnston," Wendy replied in an amazingly calm voice.

Neil caught Kelly's eyes. She seemed to have a firm footing rather than be semi-floating like he was. "On three," he said and she nodded.

On the third count they both heaved and Wendy grabbed the ladder. Her grip, though, was insecure and she began to slide back.

"Again!" Kelly called and, on the second heave, the Form Two girl managed to pull herself onto the the ladder.

Hands reached out and she was ashore, sobbing in Sandra's arms.

Neil pulled himself forward and found the secure ledge Kelly was standing on. He stood up and hoisted her onto the ladder.

The rest was almost an anticlimax as he used the ladder to pull himself ashore and staggered out onto the bank .

Wendy, completely covered in stinking grey ooze and green slime turned from Miss Voss and flung her arms around his slime covered body .

Only then did the girl lose control again and burst into tear jerking sobs. "Mr Johnston," she wept. "You saved me. I would have drowned but you saved me."

"We all did, Wendy," Neil replied and flushed. After all one of the cardinal rules of teaching was that you never touched your pupils. Wendy wasn't just a pupil but a very mature young lady. He grinned, patted her back and graciously received her kiss on the cheek.

"We'll get you back to school and ring your mum," he smiled and became the headmaster again. "Okay children," he called. "Everyone back to school. You know the pine trees are out of bounds!"

"You look a mess, Mr Johnston," one of the younger pupils yelled.

"But look at Wendy," another said, "and Mrs Woolstone. Even Miss Voss is covered in yuck!"

Neil looked around and smiled. Sarah was almost as bad as himself except her head was still clean and Kelly had smelly mud down her front where Wendy had grabbed her. As well, half a dozen senior pupils were somewhat mud splattered.

"Hold the bell for half an hour," Neil ordered. "A few of us need to get cleaned up."

They all made there way back to school and Sarah took Wendy over to the house for a hot shower.

"You go too, Neil," Kelly said."I'll look after the children."

"Thanks, Kelly," he said. "Without that ladder I doubt if we would have made it."

"Just staff co-operation," she chuckled and broke into a warm smile.

-- Topeka firefighters said a boy about 10 years old became stuck in silt and sand almost up to his waist Sunday in North Topeka. 

Topeka Fire Department Capt. Harold Dibbern said firefighters rescued the boy. Dibbern said he was found trapped in a wet mixture that was "almost like quicksand. Once you get in there, you can't get out without help." 
The boy's name wasn't available. He turned down a trip to a hospital in an American Medical Response ambulance that was on hand. 

Firefighters were called at 6:33 p.m. to the scene in an open area just south of Coachlight Village Mobile Home Court North, 195 N.E. Coachlight Drive. Coachlight Drive runs east from N. Kansas Avenue and is about one-quarter mile north of US-24 highway. 

Dibbern said firefighters were told the boy had been stuck for about an hour at a water hole in an area where some sort of construction was under way. Dibbern said firefighters set ladders atop the silt and sand, then walked on those to the child and pulled him out.

THE parents of one of the boys at the centre of an Orwell Bridge mudflats drama today expressed their gratitude to the emergency services who plucked him to safety.

The father of 14-year-old Stuart Duthie told how his diehard angler son, who was yesterday trapped waist-high in mud while digging for fishing bait, even went late-night fishing immediately after being treated for cold in Ipswich Hospital. 

Angus Duthie, 38, of Romney Road, Ipswich, said: “He’s perfectly all right now. Nothing will stop him fishing but he’s certainly not going bait-digging again - that’s been discussed. 

“We are so grateful to all the people who helped Stuart out. We are going to send them cards expressing our thanks. They were brilliant.”

With friend Richard Eley, 11, who also attends Holywells High School, Stuart had gone down the Nacton side of the Orwell to dig for blood worms at 9am. 
When Stuart was late for lunch his mother Brenda, 36, and her twin brother Peter Versey went to investigate. He also has a 12-year-old sister. 

Of the scene which greeted her, Mrs Duthie said: “I just saw two heads in the mud. I feared the worse, I just felt so helpless, knowing your son was down there. 

“The alarm had already been raised by two passers-by, a man and lady who were walking their dog but Peter then called the police. 

The fire brigade arrived just minutes after we arrived. 

My brother wanted to go out to help Stuart without any help but the police stopped him.” 

Mrs Duthie had to wait on the bank at Piper’s Vale, with a crowd of onlookers as the drama unfurled. 

By 12.30pm the firecrews, who had waded to the pair 50m from the bank, called for assistance from the RAF search and rescue helicopter based at Wattisham. 
The RAF crew winched Stuart and Richard out of the mud to the safety of the bank. 

“Stuart’s first words to me were: how did you get down here?” said Mrs Duthie. 
Mr Duthie revealed how his son had forgotten to take his mobile phone on the fateful expedition. 

“But what use it would have been with all that mud, I don’t know,” he said. 
Both boys were back at school today but not before Stuart had gone to Felixstowe at 10pm last night with his uncle Peter - so he put his bait to good use after all. 

The parents of Richard - fast-food worker Sue and Colin Eley, of Fletcher Road, Ipswich - were today unavailable for comment. 

Today a maze of muddy footprints on banks under the bridge marks the scene of the dramatic rescue by fire crew, police, coastguard and the search and rescue helicopter from Wattisham. 

Ladders were carefully placed across the mud to support the weight of the firefighters, and ensure they did not sink too far in to the mud as well, as they made their way out to the boys. 

But as some of them stood as much as waist deep in the mud, their main concern was the boys. 

Using lines they were eventually able to free the youngsters. 

An RAF Search and Rescue Crew from Wattisham hovering next to the Orwell Bridge waited until the boys were ready to be winched to safety, before flying them to Ipswich Hospital just before 1.20pm. 

Today Flt Lt Andy Bastable, from the Wattisham crew that helped save the pair, revealed: “When we got there the fire brigade had already reached the boys and both were cold so we winched them up and took them to hospital. “The cold was the main problem with the boys and both were shivering having been stuck in the mud for a little while.” 

Once the whole operation was over, Station Officer Stephen Long said: “It was a fairly lengthy and protracted operation using ladders and lines, and we would have been in trouble without those as we were sinking ourselves.” 

He said that the boys had been reasonably calm throughout the rescue. He added: “Surprisingly the boys were in quite a reasonable state considering their predicament. They were fairly calm and were not panicking as such. 

“They probably realised we were there to rescue them by whatever means.” 

Mr Long warned other people think twice about walking out on to the mud and to learn from what had happened to the schoolboys. 

He said: “Our message to is don’t go out as far as they had. 

“They had walked 50m into the mud. The tide was going out and it had made some sort of difference making them sink further and further. 

“During the early stages they weren’t aware of the danger they were in and we need to ensure that other youngsters don’t follow suit. 

“This is a fairly rare thing to happen - and hopefully after this it will be even rarer.” 

A spokesman for Thames Coastguard, which sent the Felixstowe mud team to the scene in case they were need to assist with the rescue, also stressed that people should stay off the mud. 

He said: “Keep off all types of mud. It may look friendly and it may look firm, and on occasions it is, but all you’ve got to do is come across pockets in the mud and you will start sinking. 

“The answer is not to venture on to the mud even if you’re bait digging, unless you really know the area. But these boys thought they knew the area. 
“Mud changes. If there have been a lot of storms it can alter it and churn it up, making it more cloggy. 

“The advice for children is never go on to the mud whatsoever.” 

A teen-ager was trapped in chest-deep mud for about 10 hours after his friends dared him to walk through a mud pool at an abandoned mine site. 

Justin Underwood, 15, is now "just fine," said Roleana Treadway, his stepmother. 

Underwood and friends were at the mine on Sunday when friends dared him to walk through the mud, said Trap Hill Fire Chief Larry Reedy. As he was walking, Underwood stepped into a deep hole and got stuck. 

His friends tried for six hours to get him out before calling the fire department. Firefighters pulled him out of the mud. 

"A vacuum had been created because of the mud," Reedy said. 

Pat Brady, district manager for the federal Mine Safety Health Administration, said no fines will be leveled against Anchor Energy, the company that owns the mine. 

"The company considers these young people trespassers," Brady said. There are signs posted on the land clearly stating it is private property. 

In the March 1 issue of the Henry Neighbor it was reported that Ellenwood teen Johnathon Guilford helped rescue two friends, Sean and Thomas Thornton, from a "mud pool" in their neighborhood, Belmont Farms. Apparently the kids fell into the mud pool while trying to return to Johnathon and became stuck. The more they struggled, the deeper they went. Johnathon's quick thinking brought them up and out.

Recognizing and commending Jonathan Guilford; and for other purposes.

WHEREAS, Jonathan Guilford of Ellenwood, Georgia, heroically saved the lives of two young friends, 12 year_old Thomas Thornton and 10 year_old Sean Thornton, who reside in the Belmont Farms area in Henry County; and

WHEREAS, these boys failed to return home from playing outside during a weekend, and their mother became frantic as she searched unsuccessfully for her sons in neighborhood; and 

WHEREAS, when she saw Jonathan, she requested his help in finding the boys whom he reported usually enjoyed playing in Peachtree Farms Creek, and he promised to find them; and

WHEREAS, the two boys were at the creek stuck deep in the mud after land that appeared to be dry collapsed and engulfed them, and they were unable to set themselves free; and

WHEREAS, Jonathan quickly appraised the situation and promptly instructed the boys, who were blue from the cold water, to slip out of their pants so he could pull them to safety; and

WHEREAS, the immediate response and calm, deliberate action by this 13 year_old youth who courageously took command of a crisis and rescued his friends merits high praise.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that this body recognizes and commends Jonathan Guilford for his heroic action in saving the lives of two friends and convey to him great respect for his bravery and commitment.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized and directed to transmit an appropriate copy of this resolution to Jonathan Guilford. 

A FOSSIL-HUNTER was airlifted to safety in a dramatic rescue operation after she became trapped up to her waist in mud.

Coastguards swung into action after South African tourist Liz Blumenthal became trapped on a cliff-face in West Dorset.

Portland Coastguard's search and rescue helicopter was scrambled, Lyme Regis inshore lifeboat was launched and coastguards raced to the scene.

The alarm was raised after the woman was spotted half-way up the cliff-face at Black Venn yesterday afternoon.

It is believed she was hunting for fossils when she sank up to her waist in the cold, cloying mud.

She managed to pull herself free but was afraid to move in case she sank into the treacherous mire again. She lost her shoes and trousers and lay still on the cliff-face for half an hour waving frantically at people on the beach below to try and attract their attention.

She was eventually spotted and Portland Coastguard was alerted by the fossil shop at Charmouth.

She was airlifted by the helicopter to Lyme Regis and taken to the lifeboat house for a check-up but received no further medical attention.

She had a hot shower and managed to borrow some clothes as she recovered from her ordeal.

A spokesman for Portland Coastguard today urged people to stay away from cliffs along the Dorset coastline.

He said: "The woman who got into difficulties was a holidaymaker and probably not aware of the dangers, especially around Black Venn.

"After all the recent rainfall we have had, the cliffs are very dangerous and the mud is extremely sticky and you can easily get trapped. We would urge people to avoid going anywhere near cliffs. Hunting for fossils is just not worth the dangers involved.

"Luckily, the woman was spotted from the beach and we managed to get the helicopter and lifeboat on-scene very quickly. She was lucky that it wasn't much worse for her."

A seven-year-old boy died and two brothers and a friend were rescued after getting stuck in mud on a beach. 

Police said it appeared the boys fell into the mud while playing along the waterfront. 

Members of the public tried to help the children but without success. One man attempting a rescue had to be picked up by a harbour patrol boat. 

The grandfather of one of the boys raised the alarm on his mobile phone after realising one of them had not come back from the waterfront.
Police were called just after 11am yesterday to Prinstead Point, Thorney Island, near Southbourne, after reports of shouts of help from the area. 

Sussex WPC Hilary Fogarty, 43, waded into mudflats and pulled an 11-year-old boy to safety. He was taken by ambulance to hospital. 

A coastguard helicopter lifted his seven-year-old brother and their 15-year-old friend from the water. 

Both were airlifted to hospital but the younger boy died a short time after arrival. A third brother was also taken to hospital and treated for shock. 

The dead boy was named today as Stefan Allen, who lived with his family in Dorset. A post-mortem examination is expected to be carried out in Chichester tomorrow. 

Relatives watching at the scene were taken to hospital by police. 

All the boys and their relatives were on holiday together and were staying in the Southbourne area. 

The brothers' father was taken by police from his Dorset home to the hospital. 
A spokesman said police were not treating the death as suspicious and a full report would be submitted to the coroner. 

Simon Eden, Press officer for the Chichester Harbourmaster, said: "The Chichester Harbour patrol boat received a call via a mobile at 11.38am of two children trapped at Prinstead. 

"The coastguard helicopter was scrambled and the boat arrived ten minutes later on the scene. The helicopter had recovered one child and was recovering the other. The boat returned a man to the shore who attempted to rescue the two children." 

Two 13-year-old boys have been hailed as heroes after they rescued two young girls from deep mud in Cornwall. 

A third girl was pulled out by the fire brigade after sinking up to her neck in a reservoir at Charlestown, near St Austell. 

Michael Richards and a friend named Merryn kept mud and water clear of Alyshia McGowan's mouth until firefighters could pull them free. 

Sisters Alyshia and Holly McGowan had been picking blackberries with the two boys and another girl when the drama began on Sunday evening. 

The girls decided to try to cross what appeared to be an island, then found themselves being sucked into mud more than four feet deep. 

Michael and Merryn were able to rescue the first two girls straight away. 

The mother of one of the children was alerted and she called the fire brigade. 

It took two firefighters and a paramedic to pull Alyshia out. 

Cornwall County Fire Brigade said Micheal and Merryn were both heroes. 

It was the second time Alyshia had been rescued this year. Two months ago she fell down a quarry. 

Berrien County - Ryan Schiff and his twin brother, Brett, are back on solid ground today after getting into a sticky situation Wednesday. 

The boys were digging for clams near the St. Joseph River when Ryan got stuck waist-deep in mud. Brett tried to help his brother out with a stick, but when that didn’t work, he went for help. A rescue crew arrived and pulled Ryan to safety. 

Ryan emerged from the ooze with no major bumps or bruises, and responded with a curt “No” when asked if he had any future plans to hunt for clams again.

THERE was a full-scale emergency at Wirral Show on Saturday when a 13-year-old from Oxton, and two of her friends who tried to rescue her, became trapped on sandbanks at Portland Island, off Harrison Drive, New Brighton.

Police, fire brigade, helicopters and the coastguard all turned out for a real-life drama as thousands of showgoers made their way home about 6pm on Saturday.
The fire service rescued the girls, who were up to their chests in quick-sand and needed treatment. A police officer who had gone to their aid and also became stuck was also pulled clear.

Emma said that the beach looked sandy but turned to mud and she sank straight up to her knees then above the waist. She was covered in oil and when her friends Sarah Lawrence and Ashley Murphy, both aged 13 from Wallasey, tried to help they became stuck as well.

St John's Ambulance and a fire brigade emergency crew hosed down the three friends (pictured right and below) who went for a walk on the sandy beach after being at Wirral Show.

Concerned relatives comforted the girls after a day out at Wirral Show nearly ended in tragedy.

Minutes later New Brighton in-shore lifeboat rescued a Liverpool father and mother, and two children, from the treacherous mud flats. No-one was hurt in the incidents.

THE Wirral Coastguard has warned of the dangers of Hoylake and West Kirby's sinking sands after a full-scale emergency just down the coast at Harrison Drive, where three young girls had to be rescued at the weekend.

Now Coastguard Brian May, based at Meols, has told beach-users to be on their guard and to read - and act upon - warnings posted by the council.

"Around the groynes there is particularly deep mud - if you get stuck in it you cannot remove yourself. About twice a year we have to pull people out," he explained. "In some areas, particularly at Hoylake, there is soft sand and you can sink if you stand still for long enough.

"The best thing is to keep moving."

Another danger area is the South end of the Marine Lake at West Kirby, where a horse and rider had to be rescued a few years ago. The weight of the animal and its terrified effort to get a hoof-hold in the liquid sand caused it to sink further and further, added Mr May.

"If you feel any movement, get away from the area," he continued, adding that people should be aware for their own safety. "The local authority provide signs explaining the danger. If people don't care to read them, there's not a lot you can do."

NEWBURY -- A Belmont man was rescued from chest-deep mud along the Plum Island River just as the tide was coming in yesterday afternoon. 
Jeff Mason had been fishing at low tide in the muddy banks along the river when he sank up to his chest in mud and could not free himself. Roy R. Paris, 35, of Lawrence, a party boat captain, was driving over the bridge when he saw Mr. Mason struggling to get free. 

''He was up to his armpits and the tide was coming in. Another hour and the guy could have died,'' said Mr. Paris. 

He called for help and dozens of rescuers from the Newbury Police, Newbury Fire Department, the Coast Guard and the Newburyport harbor patrol showed up. 

At first they tried to pull Mr. Mason out with a rope, but Mr. Mason remained stuck. 

Rescue workers placed an extension ladder out over the mud and Newbury Firefighter Dana M. Davis crawled out to Mr. Mason. 

At first the added weight from the ladder squeezed Mr. Mason farther into the mud. But with much twisting and turning, he managed to get free. 

''It took a little while with the suction,'' said Newbury Deputy Fire Chief David W. Foley. 

Chief Foley said the marshes are muddy, but he had never heard of anyone getting stuck so deeply before. 

''We have never had one stuck up like that as far as I recall,'' he said. 
Mr. Mason was not hurt from his ordeal. 

''Except maybe his pride,'' said Chief Foley.

 The top working cowboy at Rancho Mission Viejo died saving his nephew from drowning this weekend, getting mired in thick mud and reeds of a small lake as he pulled the 16-year-old from the muck and pushed him to shore. 

"Just look at what he did," Natalia Ruelas said of her brother-in-law, Salvador "Chava" Uribe. "He gave his life for my nephew." 

Uribe, 46, had set off with his wife and nine other friends and relatives on a family outing Saturday on the 25,000-acre ranch where they live.   The group stopped at about 4 p.m. at a small lake near Ortega (74) Highway and Cristianitos Road to cool off and fish, and Uribe's nephew, Aaron Ruelas of Lake Elsinore, waded into the water.   When Ruelas began to show signs of distress, relatives said, Uribe jumped in to save him. 

"(Ruelas) kept going under and coming up. We thought at first he was playing," said another of Uribe's sisters-in- law, Maria Calvario, 37, visiting from Vallejo. "Then, Salvador's brother shouted, 'Salvador, he's drowning!' " 

Uribe ripped off his boots and shirt and dove into the water, rapidly crossing the small lake even though his jeans were weighed down by his heavy belt buckle and 20 ranch keys, Calvario said.   He pulled Ruelas from the mud and pushed him closer to shore, where the boy could grab some branches and hang on until a ranch security guard and others could pull him to safety. Meanwhile, relatives watched helplessly from the opposite bank, shouting and crying as Uribe went under and didn't come back up. 

"He was stuck in the mud," Calvario said. "We all ran (around the lake). ... We tried to help him, but there was no access, it was so muddy." 

Uribe's body was pulled from the water at 10 p.m. Saturday by sheriff's scuba divers, said Lt. Larry Abbott of the Orange County Sheriff's Department.   Seth "Shorty" Gorham, 22, a cowboy and sometime ranch hand, said he wasn't surprised his friend "went out a hero."   "He always seemed to show up when someone needed saving," said Gorham, who spent his teen-age years on the ranch, learning from Uribe how to herd cattle and take care of horses. 

Ceremonies for Uribe will be held at Mission San Juan Capistrano on Wednesday. He is expected to be buried at the ranch on a site known as Campo de los Amantes, or Field of Lovers, which is near a family gathering and camping site.   He is survived by his wife, Anna; two daughters; two sons; and a brother who also lives on the ranch.   "Chava was always watching everyone," Gorham said. "So now he's got a good eye on all of us." 

Seaside visitors were warned today to beware of dangerous soft mud on the East Coast after a girl was sucked chest-deep while on holiday at Filey.

Steve Kinroy, watch manager for the Humber Coastguard, said rescuers were called out to Hunmanby Gap, near Filey, yesterday afternoon, when two girls, aged 12 and 13, got stuck in the treacherous slime while making their way down to the beach by a cliff path.

One girl was stuck in the mud up to her chest.

"These girls managed to free themselves before we got there, but they were very lucky indeed," he said.

"The recent rains have dislodged a lot of mud, which is very soft and the suction can pull people down.

"People should be careful to take the proper footpaths down to the beach, not short cuts."

He said it was the fourth incident this year, including one where a woman had been stuck in the mud in an isolated spot for eight hours before anyone saw her to call for help.

The coastguards would be working with local councils to make sure signs were put up warning people about the dangers of the mud, he said.

A mother today welcomed moves to ensure the safety of children at the York building site where her daughter had to be rescued from a mud pile.

Carrie Storr, 12, of Seventh Avenue, Tang Hall, was rescued by firefighters after she sank chest deep into the mud at Alfred McAlpine's Hayfields development, off Fossway, Heworth.

Her would-be rescuer, Tony Clarke, who lives next to the site, was also pulled out by firefighters after sinking when he tried to help her.

The Health and Safety Executive was called to the scene following the incident last Tuesday evening.

At the time a firefighter, York fire service assistant divisional officer John Swires, said the gate was open when firefighters arrived, and a York police spokesman said the site had been insecure with no security patrol.

But Brian Light, managing director of McAlpine Homes, Yorkshire, said that at 5.15 pm, the gates were closed and the buildings were secure. 

An HSE spokeswoman said today: "The Health and Safety Executive visited the site and advised the company that every effort should be made to keep children off the site.

"We are reasonably satisfied with the precautions now in place."

Ann Storr, Carrie's mum, said Carrie had now recovered following her frightening ordeal. 

A mobile phone helped to rescue a woman stuck in mud as she faced being drowned by an incoming tide. 

The emergency was handled by Humber coastguard Mike Puplett, based at the marine rescue centre in Bridlington, East Yorkshire. 

He took a 999 call from the woman, pleading for help as she struggled to free herself from the mud near Pleasure Island at Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire. 

She was on a day trip from Lincoln, and had become trapped as she went to rescue her two children who had got stuck in the mud, but managed to free themselves. 

Three men who went to help her also got trapped and were soon up to their knees in the notorious sinking sands. As the tide turned and threatened to drown them, the coastguard at the end of the phone kept the woman and the men calm. Then it emerged another woman who tried to help had also got trapped. 

The coastguard scrambled a helicopter from RAF Leconfield in East Yorkshire and called out the coastguard rescue team from Cleethorpes. 

Mr Puplet, who continued to speak to the trapped people over the mobile phone as the rescue services moved in, said: "They were sinking fast and soon up to their knees. The area is well known for being marshy and swampy. In the past many people have been cut off by the tide locally and the coastguard has had to help them to safety." 

Two children - Romesh (8) and Manju (6) - who got trapped in a marshy area of the Beas, near Sain Mohalla were rescued by constable Lal Chand today. 

The constable, who was on traffic duty on the Victoria Bridge, was told by a passerby that two children were trapped in a marsh while playing on the river side. 

Lal Chand rushed to the spot abandoning his duty and rescued the children partly drowned in the mud at the risk of his life. 

Mr J.R. Thakur, SP, said Lal Chand had been recommended for bravery award.

FIREFIGHTERS used a triple extension ladder and a rope to rescue a 12-year-old girl stuck to her waist in a muddy pond.

Jennifer Swift, from Darwen, had gone into the water off Whitehall Road in the town to get a stick but sank to her waist in thick mud.

A crew from Darwen fire station, paramedics and police attended the scene at about 8.25 last night.

Sub-officer Steve Ryan, said: "She had spotted a stick in the pond and had jumped in to get it.

"There was three feet of mud below the water and she could not get out.
"It took about five or 10 minutes to pull her out. She was none the worse for her ordeal, though she lost one of her shoes."

A 10-YEAR-OLD boy trapped up to his waist in a muddy river bed was rescued just moments before he passed out from the cold.

Christian Wheadon, of Fair View Road, Burnley, was playing on the banks of the River Calder at Padiham yesterday afternoon with his young cousins Christopher, Nathan and Shane Holding when he became lodged in the mud which sucked him in up to his waist.

His aunt Catherine Holding, who lives in Elizabeth Street, Padiham, said: "I tried to get him out and his grandfather Robert tried but he was stuck fast.
"He was laughing about it until the firefighters arrived and then he started to get worried. There was water all around him and he was freezing.

"When they finally pulled him out he was groggy and falling asleep and his legs were hurting him from the pressure of the mud and cold." Paramedic Mark Cox said: "He was absolutely petrified. The suction of the mud had pulled him right in and he couldn't move.

"Children don't realise the dangers but it could have turned quite nasty. The water was freezing.

"By the time we got him out he was on the verge of hypothermia and passed out in the ambulance.

"If he had done that while still in the water he would have gone in head first and that would have been that."

Firefighters from Padiham were hooked up to rescue lines before wading into the water to dig out Christian's legs while the paramedic kept him talking and monitored his vital signs.

Christian was taken to Burnley General Hospital, but was allowed home after treatment.

Catherine added: "I have warned my children not to go near the river in future, but it is like a magnet especially when it gets hot - they don't realise how cold the water is.

"If it happened to anyone it would have been to Christian because he is accident prone."

Christian, who lives with his grandparents was none the worse for his ordeal but was kept home from St Stephen's School today.

AN eight-year-old boy was trapped up to his waist in mud for 20 minutes after searching for foxes on Rowley Tip in Burnley on Saturday afternoon. 

Luke Swainston Thomas, of Walsden Grove, Burnley, had been on the landfill site with his friend Sean McRobb, 12, of Turton Grove, Burnley, at about 3pm. He was trying to clean his trainers when he got sucked in by the mud and was trapped up to his waist. 

Sean told his friend not to move and stop panicking and he ran to the nearby Top Shop on Ridge Row to get help from the fire brigade. As he was running back to his pal he stopped driver Philip Clegg and asked him for help. 

Philip, 36, of Branch Road, Burnley, had been working on his friend Neil Laurie's house on Ridge Row. 

Mr Laurie, 34, said: "We ran down and jumped over the fence and saw one lad standing there and the other trapped up to his waist in mud. 

"We told him not to move. He was in tears and was upset. "He did manage to drag himself on to a tyre which his friend had found and got out up to his knees. 
"We had a look for something to put on the mud but we couldn't find anything so I took a couple of steps in then he reached out and grabbed him and we dragged him out." 

Luke's dad Tony said his son was now grounded. 

He said: "He was told not to go off the street. 

"I will be contacting the council to say there are holes in the fence which need to be blocked off because the children can just walk through on to the site. 

"I would like to personally thank the two men who pulled Luke out of the mud." 
Leading Firefighter Gary Kiyani said: "If he had been in there any longer he would have suffered because it was terribly cold. 

"He would have been in trouble if he had not been with his friend and he had gone to raise the alarm. Children should not be playing on these sites. 

"The passers-by had managed to get him out of the mud by the time we arrived and we just carried him back across the site to the ambulance. It was quite a trek from the road to where he was." 

Luke was taken to Burnley General Hospital where he was wrapped in blankets until his body temperature returned to normal. He was none the worse for his ordeal. 

FIREFIGHTERS in Rawtenstall had to rescue two children who got stuck in mud - as well as a neighbour who had tried to help them out.

The youngsters, aged seven and eight, had been playing on a building site in Hollingwood Drive, Reedsholme, yesterday , when they climbed on to what was described as a very "sticky and soggy" mound of mud.

They sank into the mud and when a resident of a house opposite the site climbed the mound to pull them out he also became stuck.

Sub-officer Nigel Boden said: "There was a big pile of mud which had got wet and a neighbour had put a wooden pallet down to try and get them out.

"When we arrived there were three of them confined to the top of the mound.
"We just approached them from a different angle and used a triple extension ladder. It took about five to ten minutes."

"An ambulance did attend but no one was injured - although one of the boys lost his boots."

A TEENAGER feared for his life as he battled to free himself from a muddy quagmire.

Paul Campbell had gone to retrieve a football from a building site off Limefield Brow, Bury, when he sank in mud first up to his knees and then, as he struggled, up to his chest.

The 14-year-old said: "Every time I tried to pull myself clear I sank deeper into it. I was panicking. I was slowly sinking and feared I would go right under."

Fortunately for Paul, his pal Steven Brooks grabbed a nearby ladder and laid it across the mud to allow Paul, of New Cateaton Street, to cling to it for support.
Steven (15), of Cornfield Close, then used his mobile phone to call the fire brigade to the scene at the site.

Bury leading fireman Gary Costin said: "We created a platform with our ladders, dug down the mud by hand and used brute force to free the boy."
Paul, a pupil at Derby High School, was hauled from the mud on to the ladders and was taken to Bury General Hospital for treatment to an ankle injury before being allowed home.

"It was like a laugh at first, but when I saw Paul sinking further I became worried," added Steven, a pupil of Bury CE High School.

Paul's trainers are still stuck in the mud pit which firefighters discovered was 12ft deep.

Paul said: "When the mud reached my chest I felt more solid ground beneath my feet and I wasn't sinking as fast.

"Steven did really well to react as quick as he did and I thank him. The situation could have been a lot worse."

Both boys received a stern warning from the housing development bosses to keep away from the site for their own safety.

Meanwhile, Bury Council is investigating the safety aspects of the site. A spokesman said: "We will make an assessment whether this site falls under health and safety at work legislation.

"If it does, then we will notify the Health and Safety Executive.".

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