A teenager says she is “lucky to be alive” after she and her friend were rescued when they became stuck in mud at the base of a cliff.

Chloe Bennett, from Sheerness, described how she was sucked into the ground off Warden Bay on Saturday evening.

She and another girl, aged 13, tried to take a short cut to a bomb shelter they had spotted after a day at Leysdown arcades.

They called the fire brigade on a mobile phone when they realised they could not move.

Chloe said: “We were screaming for help and there was no one around.

“We were really cold and everything. It was funny at the time but when the tide started coming closer it got pretty serious. We both got really scared.

“I thought I was going to drown and die because the tide was coming in so fast.”

The 15-year-old said failing light made it difficult for the Coastguard to see them but they were eventually found her by her bright red hair and a torch on her mobile.

Chloe said: “I felt relieved I wasn’t going to die this side of Christmas and really happy and appreciated to be helped and really happy to be alive.”

She added she could not thank her rescuers enough and advised parents, children and pet owners to avoid the area.

Video: Chloe Bennett describes her ordeal

Watch manager Andrew Bridger-Smart of Kent Fire and Rescue said: "The public need to understand just how dangerous mud can be, and how unpredictable it is. What may seem a firm and safe area can be just feet away from dangerous mud.

"Though it may look firm enough to walk on, it is incredibly sticky and can cause a vacuum under foot.

"That means the more you try to pull your way out, the more the vacuum holds you – which is what happened to the girls today.

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