Girl who raised Wrabness mudflat alarm 'had to be calm'

Tily's father Peter has said he was "very proud" of her for staying calm

A girl who called police when she and her friends got stuck in mudflats has been praised for staying "calm and composed".

Three girls and a boy, all aged 12, were trapped as they tried to walk home at Wrabness, near Harwich, on Tuesday as the tide came in.

Police have praised one of the girls, Tily, for her "calm and composed" 999 call which led officers to them.

She said she "didn't want to panic anyone else more" by losing her cool.

'A disaster'

Emergency services were called at about 18:45 GMT when Tily reported that she and her friends were lost on the beach between Copperas Wood, Wrabness and Parkeston.

The 12-year-olds became trapped in mud at Wrabness, near Harwich

She said they had gone to Wrabness by train, but did not have any money to return the same way and decided to walk at about 17:30 GMT as "it looked like it wasn't that far".

"We saw Harwich and thought it would be like a fun way to get home but it turned out [to be] a disaster," she said.

When it got to 18:30 GMT, Tily said it was "pitch black" and "panic time and I [said] I think we need to ring the police because what if the tide comes in?".

Two of the four were completely stuck in the mud.

"One friend was up to his knees and turned a yellowy purple sort of colour, his eyes kept rolling back and after about five minutes he fainted," she said.

When they saw the police flashing lights at them, Tily said she and another friend managed to move towards them.

Sgt Aaron Heard said Tily had given police "as much detail as she could" of the rough location of the other two children and they were found about 500m (1,640ft) out in the estuary and winched out by a helicopter.

Tily's father said he was "proud" of his daughter

Tily's father said: "I was very relieved and proud of Tily, the way she reacted and the way she identified the situation she was in and how she decided to phone the police."

Essex Fire and Rescue Service has urged people to avoid "playing in or near any water at night, even if the tide is out".