A seven-year-old boy was rescued from the mud at Brean after he became stuck while out exploring with his family.

Coastguard teams from Weston-super-Mare, Burnham-on-Sea and BARB Search and Rescue were called out to the incident at 11.44am yesterday (Sunday).

The boy was exploring pools left by the tide when he became stuck in soft sand and was unable to move.

A spokesman for Burnham Coastguard said: “Mum had tried to reach him but as adults are heavier than children she was unable to get close enough to help him.

“One of the most frightening things for any parent is the inability to reach their children when they need them most.

“She told him to sit down and spread his weight to avoid sinking any further and alerted the beach warden.

“Immediately the Brean beach warden contacted our Coastguard operations centre which tasked our team along with Weston Coastguard rescue team and BARB Search & Rescue.”

One mud technician from Burnham and one from Weston donned mud rescue suits and boarded the hovercraft.

The two technicians extracted the boy from the mud and flew him back to the coastguards on the beach.

The boy was cold, but unharmed, and he was assessed at the scene by South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust.

Burnham Coastguard added: “A timely reminder that the beach can change from hard standing to soft sinking in a matter of a few footsteps.

“We know that people love to explore, especially kids who have a natural curiosity.

“Mum did the right thing by telling her son to spread his weight and then alerting the Brean beach warden and we would like to point out that for the most part, the beach was quite firm to walk on which gave a false sense of security.

“People don’t tend to wander out into dangerous mud with the intention of becoming stuck and in this case, they were just caught out.

“A scary time for all involved but the little lad was very brave even when we turned up in a noisy hovercraft.

“The beach is an ever-changing landscape and today’s call out was a fine example of that.”

For coastal emergencies, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.