AN ADVENTURE in the snow turned into a horrifying experience for an Oswestry family after they found themselves stuck in mud.
Kirsty Casewell went out with her sons Morgan, seven, and Tyler, six, pictured, on Sunday for an afternoon of sledging on fields behind Oswestry Cemetery. They were joined by her brother, Luke Marchant.
But the group found themselves being rescued by firefighters after becoming trapped in more than six inches of mud.
Kirsty, who lives in Llys Road, explained: “The boys were running ahead, then I saw Tyler sinking in the mud. I tried to get him but I was sinking myself and I could not get out. I could feel it pulling my feet under. It was shear panic - I was scared. I thought I was going under.
“Morgan freed himself and went to help Tyler, but when he managed to pull one foot out it went back in.”
Luke, who was behind his sister had also become stuck, as the family found themselves up to their knees in mud, with the level almost reaching Tyler’s waist.
“Tyler was crying his eyes out,” continued Kirsty, 36, “I kept telling him someone would be here in a minute - they were so relived to hear the sirens.”
John Davies, Watch Manager of Oswestry Fire Station, was one of the team who raced to the Victoria Road site shortly before 3.15pm.
He said: “The field was quite bad. They had diverted off the hard standing path and sunk into the mud.
“We took equipment down there, but managed to get to them and pull them to safety by hand.”
The Oswestry crew were also joined by the base’s incident support unit, rescue tender from Wellington and an operational officer. They were on scene for just over 20 minutes, before returning to Kirsty and Luke’s mother’s home in College Road where they were checked over by paramedics.
Praising the efforts of the emergency services, Kirsty said both boys had gone to Woodside Primary School yesterday, adding: “We were on our way to the field next to the one we got stuck in, but we never got there. I hope the snow will stick so we can take them out again.”
In a warning to others, Mr Davies urged people to be cautious in the weather, advising them to wear appropriate clothing, tell someone where you are going and when you will be back, and carry a mobile phone.