COASTGUARD volunteers from Barrow got the chance to rub shoulders with the stars of the longest-running British soap by showing off their search and rescue skills on-screen.

The crew from Furness Coastguard, based at Walney Channel, were one of two lucky teams picked to take part in the filming of some dramatic Corrie scenes when Nick Tilsley became trapped in quicksand.

Nick had ventured on a trip to the seaside, filmed at Arnside, with Peter, played by Chris Gascoyne, and Steve, played by Simon Gregson, in order to settle their differences over their mutual love interest Leanne.

With Nick heading off alone however, he soon meets trouble when he tries to jump from one sand bank to another - and gets stuck in the moving sand in the middle.

The restaurateur, played by Ben Price, is seen crying desperately for help before the coastguard crews from Furness and Arnside come to his rescue.

Former Ulverston Victoria High School pupil Rob McClymont has been volunteering with the coastguard for the last four years.

"We spent three days filming, we had to carry out a mud rescue as well as being there to provide safety cover in case something genuinely did go wrong," the 31-year-old, of Napier Street in Barrow, said.

Although crew member McClymont and his team-mates don't often have to rescue stranded walkers from quicksand, with only small patches near Askam and Greenodd, mud rescues are becoming more common.

Just this weekend, they were tasked, along with Duddon Inshore Rescue, to the shore near Askam after four boys from Barrow became trapped in the mud.

"Our advice to anyone who finds themselves trapped in mud or quicksand is to try to stay calm, don't move too much and try to spread your body weight as much as possible by lying down," Mr McClymont said.

"Discourage anyone else from trying to rescue you, as they could get stuck too, and call 999 so they can alert the coastguard."

Danny Jamson, senior coastal operations officer with the coastguard, played a key role in arranging the Coronation Street scenes.

"We're always happy to hear from people who'd like to join one of our teams as a volunteer," he said.

"You need to be reasonably fit, live near the coastguard station and be prepared to be called out at any time of the day or night.

"It's hard work but every time we go out in response to a 999 call we go in the knowledge that we could well be saving a life and that makes it all worthwhile."

Furness Coastguard currently has 11 members but the team is always seeking new recruits.

Anyone interested in signing up, or finding out more, can email area15@mcga.gov.uk or contact the team via Facebook.

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