TWO children were rescued in Leigh after they got stuck in mud while out on a family walk.

The fire brigade were called to land behind Elmridge in Leigh where work is being carried out to build the guided busway.

A concerned resident is called the fire service after seeing a 38-year-old and three children all aged under 16, get into trouble while walking in the area.

The passerby was helping the adult and one of the children out of the mud when firefighters arrived and used manpower to assist the passerby before freeing the two children who were stuck further in the mud.

Watch manager Jim Clitheroe said: “All four members of the family, one adult and three children, got stuck.

“A member of the public heard them and assisted two of them but the other two were too far out for him.

“We assisted with the rescue of the first two before rescuing the other two children.”

The family was checked over by paramedics and were unharmed but residents are being warned to stay away from similar sites while the weather is bad.

Mr Clitheroe said: “The mud was at least knee deep in places.

“In this sort of weather it is very wet and I would ask people to please stay away from muddy places. “Conditions can change rapidly as we saw here with what was just a Sunday afternoon stroll quickly escalating into a situation where four people had to be rescued.

“This is a construction site and although areas are boarded off people who see anything like this should stay away.

“It sounds like a cliché but those places aren’t playgrounds.”

Two engines from Atherton and Leigh fire stations were called to the land just before noon.