Police suspect stuck in waist-deep mud off St Osyth coast

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A police suspect who became stuck in waist-deep mud when he tried to run away from officers had to be rescued by firefighters and the coastguard.

Essex Police were called to a holiday park in St Osyth, Essex, after reports of an assault at 00:10 BST.

The suspect, a man in his 20s, ran off when they arrived and waded out into deep mud where he became stuck.

Two police officers managed to get him back to nearby marshland where he could not be moved "due to his size".

Sgt Alex Southgate, who was called to the scene near Point Clear, said the man had gone out into the mud after running across a beach and marshland.

"PC Richmond and I waded out into the mud to detain him and prevent him from sinking further," he said.

"We were able to get [him] back to the marshes but due to the onset of hypothermia, he collapsed and due to his size, sat heavy in the mud."

Coastguards arrived shortly after 01:20 but it was still difficult to move the man, an Essex Police spokesman said.

When firefighters arrived, the emergency services worked together and managed to move the man to an ambulance which took him to hospital.