THE family of a four-year-old girl who got stuck in mud on Hornsea beach as the tide came in are warning others to be aware of the dangers.
Ron Sands was on the beach with his granddaughter Katie Sands when he heard her scream.
He realised she had got stuck and could not move after she sank into the mud above her knees.
Mr Sands and his wife Sandra rushed to her aid but ended up getting stuck themselves and could not reach Katie.
Katie and her family, who live in Bath, were visiting Mr and Mrs Sands at their Ashcourt Drive home in the resort.
Mr Sands said: "It was low tide and Katie went paddling.
"Suddenly, she screamed out and we realised she was stuck in the mud.
"My wife and I got stuck trying to rescue her and we couldn't get to her.
"Others came to help and they managed to get round and formed a human chain to save Katie.
"We were very concerned as the tide was starting to come back in.
"We were panicking as Katie is not a swimmer.
"We are very thankful to those who came to help. We don't know what might have happened otherwise.
"There could have been serious consequences.
"Luckily, there were plenty of people around but if someone got stuck with no one around, it could have been a very different story."
After the scare, Mr Sands wasted no time in alerting the lifeguards to the danger but was shocked to find out they already new about the sinking mud.
He said: "We went to the lifeguards to warn them about it but they told us they already knew and had taken samples to test.
"But we are concerned there is nothing to warn people about the mud.
"They should put up warning flags or something.
"We just want something to alert people to the dangers when the tide is out."
RNLI lifeguard manager for the region Chris Ward vowed to look into the matter.
He said: "There are always dangers on the beach and we do our best to warn people about them.
"These can be tidal currents, offshore winds or soft sand and mud.
"Hornsea is a big beach and we only patrol a small section of about 200m.
"Our lifeguards do all they can to keep people safe.
"I don't know much about this particular situation but I will be speaking to the staff who worked over the bank holiday weekend to discuss any concerns.
"I will also speak to East Riding Council over any issues raised.
"We have had a very busy summer so far and we hope we have got across our safety messages to as many people as possible."
In May last year, a Bridlington man was rescued in a dramatic sea operation after he became stuck in mud while walking his dog on a beach near Flamborough.
The lifeboat crew only found him by tracking the signal on his mobile phone.
By the time they reached him, the sea was up to his chest, with waves crashing over his head.
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