Sunderland Coastguard rescues drone pilot from mud in River Wear

The fire brigade, Coastguard and Sunderland RNLI's inshore lifeboat were all called to the scene, close to Wearmouth Bridge.

Coastguard spokesman Neil Mearns said: "A gentleman in his 60s was flying his drone when it came down unexpectedly on mud flats on the north side of the river, close to the entrance to the old dry dock, just upriver from the railway bridge.

"Basically, he went down to try to retrieve his drone and got stuck in the mud."

The man had been trapped for around half an hour before a Coastguard rescue team was able to pull him clear and help him up on to the quayside.

"Fortunately, this gentleman was none the worse for his experience," said Neil.

"The tide would have been coming in, but it was not an imminent threat."

It was not the first time the team had been forced to rescue someone from mud in the river bed, said Neil.

"We get people who go crabbing or looking for tyres and get themselves stuck," he said.

"We would urge people to make sure that somebody knows where they are going and what time they are going to be back."