Lagoon closed after two rescued from sinking sand

A seaside lagoon in Southend has been closed after a mother and daughter had to be rescued with ropes after they got stuck in waist-deep sinking sand.

The dramatic incident took place at Three Shells Lagoon on Tuesday and Southend-on-Sea City Council said it was taking it "extremely seriously".

Fencing and safety signs have been extended and reinforced and the entire area is now cordoned off while safety work is completed.

The £1.9m lagoon first opened on the seafront in 2016 but the council confirmed it would not reopen until the improvements are complete.

The council spokesperson continued: "In the meantime, our engineers are looking at a range of options for the lagoon.

"Any options are likely to require planning applications and coastal licensing approvals."

Lorry driver Adrian Pikula was walking with his own daughter when he saw the incident.

He told the BBC: "It [the sinking sand] was very deep," explained how he ran to a security guard and asked for help.

Pikula added that he helped rescue the mother and daughter using ropes.

"That was quite a scary situation because the mum was going deeper and deeper into the mud," he said.

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