A yachtsman who waded across mud to recover a dinghy had to be rescued by Coastguard helicopter when he began to sink.

At approximately 0900 Solent Coastguard received a call saying that a member of public was stuck in the mud at Priddy’s Hard, Portsmouth Harbour.

Solent Coastguard tasked Coastguard helicopter Rescue ‘India Juliet’, Hillhead Coastguard Mud Rescue Team, RNLI Gosport and Fareham Inshore Lifeboats, together with the Police, Fire and Ambulance services.

It transpired that a 60-year-old male from Orpington, Kent, who kept his boat at Priddy’s Hard, was attempting to wade out and recover his dinghy that had broken adrift from the boat. He managed to get out some 200 yards before beginning to sink. He was up to his hips and sinking fast – with an incoming tide – when the units arrived on scene.

The Coastguard Helicopter successfully airlifted the man from the mud and transferred him to a waiting ambulance.

Solent Coastguard Watch Officer Jennifer Taylor said: “No matter how easy it may look to walk on the mud, soft patches make it treacherous. Had this man not been spotted, he would have been unable to regain the shore. Thankfully a tragedy has been averted on this occasion.”