WARNINGS have been issued by the coastguard after a woman had to be rescued from the tides at the beach in Haverigg recently.

The local resident to the area wanted to warn others of the dangers that the tides can bring.

She said: “People should be made far more aware of how quickly things can happen and even on a busy beach, as Haverigg was that day, that getting help can be pretty tricky.

“I was out with just my dog Fanny, who to be honest, I think alerted the guy who rescued me.

“It was an incredibly scary experience but I’m sure that I’m not the only person to get caught out how I did.

“I would hate it to happen anyone else and will be warning anyone I see heading down that way in the future.”

Earlier this week Millom Coastguard Rescue Team were called out to a family who got caught out in the tides.

They issued a statement on the dangers of the tides, it said: “If you become stuck in mud our advice is always the same, stay calm, try and spread your weight as much as possible and avoid moving. Call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

“Anybody trapped should also discourage other well-meaning members of the public from attempting to rescue them because without the proper equipment they could become stuck too.

“In either case it means that the foreshore is low lying, open to the elements, tidal and not accessible to unaided conventional vehicles.

“The UK Coastguard uses the generic term ‘mud rescue’ to cover mud, quicksand and any other substance on the shorelines from which a casualty needs rescuing.

“Our specific techniques and practices are designed to cope with mud, sand and quicksand. Unlike mud, quicksand is not obvious to the eye and there is generally little or no warning of the transition from firm sand to quicksand.

“Pockets of quicksand are always on the move and will be different positions with every successive tide.

"People can find themselves in soft ground either when the surface is so soft that they simply sink to a point where movement becomes impossible, or they break through a layer of relatively firm mud into a soft bubble described above.

“Invariably, with quicksand there is generally little or no warning of transition from firm sand to quicksand.

“People can also require rescue as a result of exhaustion while trying to wade through soft ground for all they may not be trapped. In all cases, the casualty may be at risk from incoming tide.

“The effect in both cases is that when the person tries to pull their legs free they create a vacuum underneath their feet and around the leg which prevents escape and further movement can make the situation worse.

“One immediate measure that can be taken to prevent the casualty sinking further is to sit on the surface of the quicksand, thus spreading the load and may reduce further risk to injured casualties.”