TWO young girls were rescued from the banks of a river in Smithills after becoming injured in the mud.

Bolton Mountain Rescue Team (MRT) were out in Captains Clough on Sunday evening to help pull the girls, aged 11 and 12, to safety.

The girls suffered an ankle and leg injury while they were trying to cross the stream off Captains Clough Road just before 4pm.

Heath Doran is one of the team members who came to the girl’s aid.

He said: “As far as we know they were trying to retrieve a ball for a dog, but when they tried to cross the river got in trouble in the deep mud.

“It was quite deep, almost like toffee. A couple of guys even found it difficult to get their feet out because of the suction!

“We were called out because of the problems caused by the steep slopes.

“We put the girls into heavy weight bags - they are almost like sleeping bags - before putting them on two stretchers and carried them up the Clough.

“The first girl was coping quite well but the other girl was a little worried we would drop her on the stretcher but we reassured her.

“Their parents were waiting for them at the top of the slope, the girls had lots of people to look after them.”

Bolton MRT were called to the scene at 4.20pm by the North West Ambulance Service.

As well as stretches, a full team of rescuers used lighting and ropes to help rescue the girl’s from the bank as it got darker and temperatures dropped.

Once out of the mud, the girls were treated by paramedics and taken to Royal Bolton Hospital by ambulance.

According to a post on the Bolton MRT Facebook page by one of the girl’s mothers, they were found by a 17-year-old girl who called the families and waited with them until helped arrived.

She added that girl’s were now out of hospital and doing well, and thanked the team for all their support.