INCIDENT AT SEATON CAREW

I hadn't been able to blip all day, and was thinking it would have to be an emergency blip of my VAT return - which is tonight's job. We went down to the beach just so I could say I'd been out and just where Kath Gordon takes pictures of men at work (or not) on the seawall defences there were fire engines, ambulances, police, coastguard, RNLI and the air ambulance also expected any minute. Eventually some of them went away, the helicopter didn't come, and we found a 10-year-old boy who told us the story - it may not therefore be the unvarnished truth, but no doubt there'll be an update tomorrow when the Mail comes out. He told us "a lad fell over in a hole in the sand and got stuck" - this was on an incoming tide - "his friends couldn't get him out, and then the Lifeboat came, and the Coastguard and they got one leg out, and then the firemen came and got him out. And his girlfriend was crying and the lad was crying too. And then he was shivering a lot and went unconscious." Poor kid - apparently the fire engine took him off to hospital without waiting for the air ambulance. Shock and fright and hypothermia I expect. Anyway the police taped off the area and I expect there'll be questions asked tomorrow about those holes in the sand.

UPDATE I've just found this report of the drama.