An elderly woman suffering from dementia was left stranded after getting stuck in mud flats in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The pensioner, believed to be in her 70s, was staying with relatives at a house boat in Port Werburgh, Hoo.

She climbed out of a window at around 6am to go for a walk but got stuck in the mud surrounding the boat.

Paramedics and fire crews, including a specialist mud rescue team from Strood fire station, were called to the scene.

But before the mud rescue unit arrived, the woman’s family, along with help from neighbours, had managed to pull her from the sludge.

A spokesman for Kent Fire and Rescue said: “The woman had climbed out of a window which was almost level with the mud and immediately got stuck. She was able to crawl around 20ft to the front of the boat to shout for help which was quite a feat considering her age.

“By the time we arrived she had been pulled out of the mud by family and neighbours. I think she was shaken up but otherwise unhurt. She was treated by paramedics to ensure she was not suffering from hypothermia.”