Flookburgh quicksand rescue: Couple trapped up to waists

Rescuers works to stop the man sinking further into the quicksand

A retired couple had to be rescued after getting trapped up to their waists in quicksand at Flookburgh, off the coast of south Cumbria.

The pair, who are in their 70s and from Cheshire, became stuck while out walking on sands at Humphrey Head, near Grange-over-Sands, at about 12:10 BST.

Rescuers, equipped with a hovercraft and heavy lifting gear, raced against an incoming tide to free the pair.

Both were taken to hospital suffering from mild hypothermia.

Rescue teams worked as the tide moved in

Teams from the RNLI, HM Coastguard and Bay Search & Rescue were involved in what was described as a "challenging operation".

Coastguard spokesman Joel Harding said: "The couple were spotted by an off-duty fire officer, whose wife called us immediately.

"The fire officer stayed with the couple for over an hour until we could get the resources we needed on the scene.

"It had the potential to develop into a very serious incident.

"Considering they were in the sand up to their waists for over an hour, they came out of it quite well and only appeared to be suffering from mild hypothermia.

"They did the right thing by spreading their weight out to stop themselves sinking too much further until we could extract them and pass them on to the ambulance."

Rescuers worked for more than an hour to free the man

The area is signposted, but Mr Harding said quicksand could "move rapidly" by as much as 10 metres a day.

Paul Calland, deputy station officer for Bay Search and Rescue, said: "This was a very challenging rescue as we faced an incoming tide.

"We have a hovercraft and tracked vehicles which we used to take the man to the shoreline where he was then stretchered onto an ambulance.

"We got the woman out relatively quickly, but the man was well and truly stuck and was in danger of sinking up to his neck."

A hovercraft was used in the rescue operation