Lifeboat used to rescue teenage girls stuck in thick mud

Two teenage girls who became trapped in thick mud were rescued from an incoming tide on Saturday afternoon. The girls, aged 13 and 15, were trapped at the base of the cliffs at Warden Bay, Isle of Sheppey, Kent, after trying to take a short-cut.

Firefighters called to the scene were unable to reach them and with the tide coming in and light failing they called the lifeboat from Whitstable to take them in from the sea to pull the girls out. They were eventually released and taken to an ambulance where they were assessed to be "frightened but unharmed".
Kent Fire and Rescue Service watch manager Andrew Bridger-Smart said: "We used a mud rescue path to reach the girls and released them using a special mud lance. We were then able to bring them to safety across the mud rescue path and the RNLI boat took them to shore where they were treated for mild hypothermia by the ambulance team.

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"The public need to understand just how dangerous mud can be, and how unpredictable it is. What may seem a firm and safe area can be just feet away from dangerous mud. Though it may look firm enough to walk on, it is incredibly sticky and can cause a vacuum under foot. That means the more you try to pull your way out, the more the vacuum holds you - which is what happened to the girls."