Crimewatch Roadshow visited Hull yesterday and got involved in two rescue scenarios in and around the city centre's waterfront.
On a glorious sunny morning, water rescue trainers and Hull Central crews met the BBC team in the muddy basin where the River Humber meets the lock gates into Hull Marina. Often the scene of actual emergencies as late night revellers fall in as a result of excessive alcohol or ill-advised dares, the crew 'rescued' a 'casualty' from the 20 feet of mud at low tide.
Crimewatch Roadshow reporter Michelle Ackerely spoke with WM Greg Tucker who explained the difficulties in effecting such a rescue and how the equipment is used to free the stuck individual and transfer them across the mud to safety. Rav Wilding anchored the show back in the Cardiff studio.
A second (slightly cleaner) rescue was then carried out from the dock along Princes Quay shopping centre. Michelle and Greg were 'stranded' on the fountain in the centre of the dock and were rescued by Gareth Wray who paddled out to them on an inflatable sled.
The sequences highlighted the increasing dangers of the water and mud in and around Hull's city centre. With so many bars and restaurants opening around the marina and riverside, there have been 15 rescues carried out already this year across the Service area. Over 60% of all those rescues over the last five years have taken place in Hull.
For water safety advice CLICK HERE.