A RESCUE worker called out to recover a vehicle from a Fenland ditch had to be rescued himself after he became stuck in 10ft of mud.

Firefighters hauled the man out of the water-filled ditch, near to the Goosetree Estate at Guyhirn, using specialist cutting equipment on Monday at about 11pm.

The man, who was believed to be an AA worker, had been trying to complete a recovery when he became trapped by the overturned vehicle.

He was stuck in mud, which was above his knees, and he was slowly sinking.

Fire crews from Dogsthorpe, March and the rescue vehicle from Dogsthorpe were called to the incident off the A605, alongside police and ambulance.

Tony Raine, crew commander at Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “The man was trying to make the vehicle safe for the evening as it was going to be left in the ditch overnight.

“He went to the front of the vehicle, which was partially submerged, but when he got there the vehicle moved and he slipped into the water.

“The weight of his own body pushed him into the mud at the bottom of the dyke and he became stuck and had nothing to pull himself free on.

“Floating lines were put around him to stop him from sinking any further. We used a ladder to bridge the dyke and give the man a platform to pull himself up on.

“We would always warn people to not go into or walk along the edge of slippery ditches.

“It may look fairly safe but you do not know what is at the bottom and at the moment many ditches are water-filled and very deep.

“They are a hazard and you may get stuck very easily.”

A spokesman for the AA said they had no record of the incident but they “occasionally use local garage agents during times of peak demand so it could have been an independent garage”.