Girl stuck in mud saved from tide

The girl was distressed and did not want to move

An autistic teenage girl has been rescued after becoming stuck in the mud in Somerset.

The rescue hovercraft was launched after the girl's carer reported she had become panic stricken in the mud in Brean and did not want to move.

Two members of the coastguard mud rescue team waded out to comfort her before the hovercraft arrived.

The Burnham lifeboat was also launched on Sunday afternoon as a precaution because the tide was coming in.

'Acted quickly'

Carer Sarah Day, from Stroud, Gloucestershire, said: "We'd been walking out across the beach when she just began sinking into the mud."

"She was struck with panic and we didn't want her to move and risk getting into further difficulty, so we alerted the beach warden, who in turn contacted coastguards and the hovercraft.

"I am very grateful that everyone acted so quickly and treated her in such a calm way."

The incident came on the same day that Burnham Area Rescue Boat (BARB), the charity which runs Burnham's rescue hovercrafts, celebrated its 15th year.

Hundreds of supporters also visited its seafront station on Sunday to find out more about its work.