Dog walker warns of beach mud after getting stuck

Mandie Webster said she wanted to raise awareness of the risks of sinking mud

A dog walker has warned of the dangers of getting trapped in mud on Merseyside beaches after she got stuck while walking in Wirral.

Mandie Webster, from Spital, became stuck "knee deep" in mud while walking her dog near Leasowe Castle earlier this month.

She said she wanted to raise awareness after it happened "super quick" when she walked on what she thought was sand.

Mike Buratti from Wirral Coastguard Rescue Team which rescued her said it was an "unfortunately very common" risk on the region's coastline.

Ms Webster said she had been walking near to Leasowe Castle when the tide was just going out and she was walking along the shoreline.

"I was going across some sand that looked like it was starting to dry out," she said.

"It looked quite firm but then I started to sink. And then I sank a little bit more, and a little bit more and then it was up to my knees."

The mud can be "difficult to spot", the coastguard rescue team said

Ms Webster said it all happened "super quick" and within six or seven paces she could not move.

She was able to attract the attention of some other dog walkers who raised the alarm.

Ms Webster said the lifeguard gave her a foam board to sit on to help distribute her body weight to stop her sinking further while they waited for the coastguard to arrive.

'Difficult to spot'

"I was sitting in a big pile of mud with my legs in sand up to my knees," she said.

"I was initially scared but once I saw that help was there and it was coming I was OK."

Although Ms Webster has not been back to the beach yet she said she planned to return soon but will be "a little more cautious".

"The scary thing is that part of the beach where I sank is so, so close to the shoreline people think that you've got to go so far out.

"It could happen to anybody," she said.

Mr Buratti said it was difficult to warn people of the mud as it changed with the tide.

"To the untrained eye it's very difficult to spot because it will look it'll just look like wet sand," he said.

He said if you do find yourself stuck in mud to try not to struggle and to sit down and spread your weight on to the top of the mud to avoid sinking further.

He advised people to follow HM Coastguard advice and if you get into trouble or you see someone in trouble to call 999 and ask for the coastguard.