COASTGUARDS from Dawlish got in the thick of it with a training session to prepare for mud rescues.

The team headed to Passage House in Kingsteignton to revalidate and qualify members for mud rescue.

The session was run and supported by full time officers from HM Coastguard south Devon and south east Cornwall.

The Dawlish crew began by deploying two of its mud rescue technicians to rescue a person stuck up to their knees in thick mud.

They were then recovered by a winch pulling them back to shore.

A spokesman said: ‘We then repeated the exercise in a slightly different location to familiarise ourselves in the terrain around the top of the river Teign.

‘Then came the laborious task of cleaning down all the kit, trying to keep as much of the mud as possible at the river to prevent environmental contamination.

‘The kit was washed at the river, then washed thoroughly at the station. This normally takes in excess of two hours.

‘Coastal mud is dangerous and can be extremely difficult to get out of once stuck; always call for help straight away.’