A THREE YEAR OLD toddler and her grandfather were rescued by fire-fighters after getting stuck in mud flats close to Morecambe's Stone Jetty on Monday afternoon.

The two visitors from Leeds were stuck for nearly 30 minutes before their cries for help were heard and rescuers alerted.

Fire-fighters had to be careful not to get caught in the sands themselves and used an inflated hose to reach the stranded pair.

Inflatable platforms were then put down to create a safe surface so that fire-fighters could reach them and offer reassurance.

A sand rescue kit was brought to the scene and air and water was pumped into the sand to release the suction of the mud so that their legs could be freed.

The grandfather and toddler were reunited with their family and treated for the effects of cold.

A fire spokesman said: "The sands are treacherous and we would never advise walking on them in any weather.

These two were lucky because the high tide wasn't for another five hours otherwise we would have had water lapping around our ankles and it would have made the rescue more difficult."