Horrified rescuers found a man sunk up to his chest in quicksand on a beach after the alarm was raised. Bay Search and Rescue were called to the scene in Morecombe after a 999 call was received.
The S&R team said the call had come in at 11.30am while they were out on routine patrol - and received an urgent request from Holyhead Coastguard.
In a post on Facebook it said: "A 999 call had just come in -- a person was trapped in quicksand at Silverdale, with a big tide rapidly pushing in to the Bay. We immediately diverted from the planned route and headed round the coast toward Silverdale."
When they arrived the man was stuck totally in the quicksand. "Very quickly we came across the casualty who was lying on his back in a soft gulley -- at first glance only his chest, head, one arm, and part of one leg still visible, but because he had laid right he was thankfully not in too deep, but completely exhausted and quite hypothermic."
The crew inflated two Inflatable Rescue Air Pathways so they could safely reach him without sinking in themselves, and informed Holyhead MRCC of his exact location. The spokesperson added: "One pathway behind him to prevent him sinking further and the other in front we carefully worked to free him. After just a few short minutes, he was safely out and on the pathway and able to crawl up onto dry land.
"We immediately transferred him into the Sherp for rewarming, as he was extremely cold and showing signs of hypothermia. Our medic assessed him and wrapped him in foil blankets whilst moving swiftly to a safer place for transfer
"As we left the scene, the tide had already begun to fill the gulley -- a surreal reminder of just how close this call was."
The casualty was transported to the Bob In Café ahead of the flooding tide, where he was handed over to NWAS for further assessment alongside Arnside & South Lakes Coastguard Rescue Team Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (Official) North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust.