Emergency rescue of man stuck in mud on beach
Tuesday 4pm - EMERGENCY crews rescued a fisherman stuck in mud on the beach last week – using their bare hands to dig him out before the tide came in.
Mablethorpe Lifeboat, Alford Fire and Rescue, Chapel St Leonard's Coastguard, Lincs Ambulance and police all attended the scene on the beach by Huttoft car terrace just after 2pm on Wednesday.
The man, believed to be in his forties and from Chapel St Leonard's, was said to have been digging for worms to use for fishing bait when his legs became stuck.
Lifeboat crew member Neil Herbert, who helped with the rescue, said: "The man was fishing with his father and got stuck in a gully of sand and mud which had formed close to the water's edge. This was filling up with water and he was up to his thighs deep when we arrived.
"We had to dig the man out of the mud using our bare hands and it took four of us to pull him out."
Mick Hawes, press officer for Mablethorpe RNLI said: "There was a frantic operation to get him out of the mud before the tide came in. It was obvious that if they hadn't gotten him out of there quickly, he would have drowned."
Coastguard sector manager for Lincolnshire, Sam Jessop said: "The man was suffering from hyperthermia and was cold and disorientated. It was a very serious situation and we had to act quickly to get him out. The water and wind were very cold, so this was contributing to his predicament."
Upon release the man was taken to hospital by ambulance suffering from 'mild hyperthermia.'
Soft muddy sand close to the shoreline can be a hidden danger when combined with the speed of the encroaching tide. The RNLI advise people should take extra care along the coast and call for help as soon as an incident occurs or they spot a hazard.
Sam concluded: "This shows how important it is to report incidents to us as soon as possible as a situation like this can escalate very quickly."
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Weather for Sleaford
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 21 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 21 mph
Wind direction: East
