A STRANDED dog who had become trapped in mudflats was rescued moments before hide tide following an eight-hour multi-agency effort. 

Two crews from Southend and Leigh were called to Two Tree Island, near Leigh, shortly before 4pm on Saturday.

The firefighters had initially been asked to attend the scene to help the Southend Coastguard and RNLI look for an adorable Dachshund.

Nearly two hours later, the dog was located on mudflats, at about 5.40pm, but rescuers were unable to reach it, due to its distressed state.

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Eventually, it became trapped on a sandbank, shortly before 7pm, which gave the firefighters scope to use their water rescue boat to safely retrieve Pepper the puppy.

Thanks to the heroic efforts of the fire crews, Coastguard, and RNLI, the Dachshund was resigned with its owner, having been saved just half an hour before high tide.

A spokesman for HM Coastguard Southend said: “We would like to thank all the services involved, great team work across agencies. 

“Also a mention to Sam from RNLI who was passing and had some doggy treats which Pepper enjoyed at end of her afternoon adventure.

“Clearly losing a puppy can be distraught for any owner, so the reason for the long operation was to ensure that the extraction was conducted by those trained in search and rescue operations. 

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“We would wish to advise any owner going into areas where it might compromise their own safety and thus then needing themselves to also be rescued. 

“So a happy ending for everyone involved on a job well done.”

All pictures: HM Coastguard Southend.