By Man ‘eternally grateful’ to rescuers
A brave couple was rescued from a creek near Cleethorpes Leisure Centre on Easter Monday after attempting to save their dog.
The coastguard and coastguard helicopter were called out at 6 pm that evening after reports that a man and woman had gotten stuck in the mud.
Richard Burton from Sheffield has spoken to the BBC of his experience saying he is ‘eternally gratefu’l to the RNLI.
“Within the space of ten minutes it went from my waist up to my shoulders and you just didn’t know at what point the water was going to get higher.
“It became apparent quickly that when our three children went across the water, it was pretty deep.
“Lola the dog she wouldn’t go in the water. So I managed to grab hold of her and start wading through the water to go across but it was just mud and I was just slipping down”.
According to the RNLI, the man was trapped up to his chest in water and mud, with the tide quickly rising putting his life in danger.
As the crew drew closer, they saw that the man was holding his dog over his head in an attempt to keep it safe from the mud and tide.
Thankfully, the man’s wife had dialed 999, meaning the rescue team managed to save the man and his dog just in time.
Cleethorpes RNLI team said: “We were called out, along with Cleethorpes Coastguard and the Coastguard helicopter, just before 6 pm on Easter Monday to a person trapped in the middle of a creek, up to his chest in water, with the tide still rising.
“When we arrived, we found him protecting his dog by holding her on his head!
“We brought him, his wife who was nearby in shallower water, and their dog safely back to shore.
“Judging by her expression in this picture, I think she knows what a close call she had. Your donations fund our volunteers to always be available.”
Cleethorpes beach safety team have recently installed new signage around the area warning of the danger in the estuary.
On social media they said “We’ve placed these signs in areas where mud is present so you can avoid getting stuck! Some of these areas are creeks which fill with water before and during high tide, meaning there is a real DANGER TO LIFE”.
(Image: RNLI Cleethorpes)
