Dramatic rescue as man buried under six feet of sand on Formby beach

A man had to be rescued by lifeguards after he became buried under six feet of sand on a beach.

The 35 year-old had been digging a hole in the sand dunes on Formby beach when he hit difficulties.

The RNLI said the man became buried when a child stepped on a dune ledge above the hole he was digging.

The charity’s lifeguards were alerted to the man’s plight after a member of the public approached their unit to say that someone was trapped in sand.

When RNLI lifeguards Richard Goodacre and Lindsay Murphy reached the scene, the man’s friends had started moving the sand away to try and free him.

He was trapped under what the RNLI estimated was six feet of sand “with little space to breathe” during the incident around 12.25pm on Monday.

The Coastguard and emergency services were alerted and after freeing the man the RNLI treated him at the scene - giving him oxygen to help his breathing.

He was later helped into an RNLI truck and driven to an awaiting ambulance at nearby Ainsdale beach.

Matthew Jessop, RNLI lifeguard supervisor, said: “We would always advise people to be extremely careful when digging in sand, especially near sand dunes which can collapse very quickly.

"The man was incredibly lucky that there was a small pocket of air within the collapsed sand to enable him to breathe - otherwise the situation could have been much worse.

“Moving small amounts of sand to make sandcastles is fine and but parents should always supervise their children during this activity. Also, just like the sea, sand dunes can be very unpredictable - so it’s always a good idea to approach lifeguards for advice on how to enjoy the beach and where the safe areas are.”