Lifeboat tasked to reports of man stuck in mud in River Brue.

Burnham-on-Sea lifeboat volunteers were paged at 4.20 pm today, after a man had been reported waist deep in mud, in the River Brue, adjacent to Apex park at Highbridge. RNLI Lifeboat Puffin was immediately launched and aided by the incoming tide (approximately an hour after low water), proceeded to the River Brue.

Once in the Brue, the tidal flow had not quite reached the lower reaches so the crew of Puffinwere forced to navigate the swift downward fresh water flow (Running at approximately eight knots), avoiding obstacles along the way, eventually reaching the casualty, a male, who was by that time extremely cold. There was also a Coastguard team member who had courageously entered the mud to stabilize the casualty, and was also deeply buried. 

Together, the Coastguard and lifeboat crew managed to extricate the man from the mud and then proceeded back down the Brue returning to the beach at Burnham jetty, with haste, as the man was semi-conscious and in a medically poor state. 

On arrival at the jetty the man was handed over to paramedics and waiting police, after which lifeboat crew and lifeboatPuffinreturned to the station for an extremely muddy wash-down by the volunteer shore team

Burnham-on-Sea Lifeboat Operations Manager Ricky Holmes said "This was a close call, and our volunteers demonstrated excellent seamanship skills,  plus the Coastguard worked with enthusiasm and their usual extreme courage."

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