Three coastguard teams worked with firefighters to rescue a man who got stuck in the mud near North Fambridge last night (February 18).

Rescuers used what3words to locate and safely retrieve the man, who is said to be in good health.

Crews were called at 5.34pm to reports that a man was stuck up to his waist in the mud, after slipping into the River Crouch from the embankment. He was stranded 60 metres (197 feet) off the coast of North Fambridge.

Firefighters from Maldon, Hawkwell, and Orsett rushed to the scene to assist with the rescue, working with three teams from South Woodham Coastguard to bring the man to safety by 6.47pm.

Crews safely rescued the man just over an hour after they were called. (Photo: Essex County Fire & Rescue Service)

Station Manager Howard Midwood said: "Our coastguard colleagues did a fantastic job to reach the man quickly and pull him safely from the mud. We then worked alongside them to bring the man back to the embankment using a rescue sled.

"This was a great example of partnership working and I'm proud of both teams.

"Using what3words helped us to reach the man quickly and I'd encourage the public to download the app, it's free and it could help emergency services locate you quickly when you need help."

The man was brought back to the embankment using a rescue sled. (Photo: Essex County Fire & Rescue Service)

what3words randomly assigns three words to each 3m square in the world, providing a unique address to allow people to share their precise location more easily.

For more information on what3words, visit the website.

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