Boy rescued in beach drama
A FAMILY today thanked people who helped rescue their son when he was trapped on a beach as the tide came in.
Andrew Booth, 15, who has Asperger syndrome, got his leg trapped in mud as his mother, father, brother and sister went fossil hunting on Charmouth Beach in Dorset.
His mother, Janet, said up to five members of the public frantically scrabbled the sand and mud away from her distressed son for 15 minutes as the water continued to rise.
Eventually his leg was freed just as a Coastguard rescue team arrived on the scene.
The family, from Kings Norton, Birmingham, were on holiday and staying near the beach.
Mrs Booth said: “We have no idea who these people were but they were fantastic and they dug Andrew out of the mud. Andrew was very distressed. We are a Christian family and we believe these people were put there by God to help us.”
Portland Coastguard said Andrew’s father called 999 just before 9pm yesterday and the crew of Lyme Regis RNLI lifeboat and Coastguard rescue officers went to release him.
An RNLI spokesman said: “The boy had sunk up to his knees with the tide coming in when the lifeboat was launched at 9pm.”
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