A man sparked a dramatic rescue in the early hours of this morning after he became stuck waist-deep in mud.

Fire crews, coastguard teams and paramedics were called to Swale Marina at Conyer Creek near Teynham shortly after midnight following reports of the man's predicament.

Using specialist rescue equipment, they were able to reach him as he sunk into the mud about 40 metres from the shore.

The rescue came to an end at about 1.20am and the man - who is aged about 40 - was handed to ambulance crews for treatment.

It is not known what he was doing at the time he became stuck.

A spokesman for the Kent fire service this morning warned people against the dangers of soft mud.

They said: "We would always urge people to keep to the footpaths as taking deceptive short cuts could put your life at risk.

"Mud that looks dry can be very deep, cold and sticky.

"We would also encourage people to always tell someone if there are plans to be anywhere that is considered to be an at risk place."