A MAN had to be rescued by fire crews after going to the aid of two children after they got stuck in mud.
The good Samaritan had come to the aid of the boys after they became trapped on a building site in the Niddrie area of Edinburgh.
The children, aged nine and 10, were trapped up to their waists in the building site, near a leisure centre complex.
Another child who was with the pair is thought to have raised the alarm at around 7.10pm last night (Mon).
The rescuer, who lives in nearby flats, heard the children’s cries for help and went to help.
He was able to get one child from the mud before becoming stuck.
The man and the remaining child were freed by Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue who used ladders to make a bridge to the pair.
They were taken to hospital as a precautionary measure.
A spokesperson for the fire service said: “This was a very frightening situation for the two boys who became stuck. They were shocked and very cold by the time they were freed from the mud. A man living nearby had heard their cries for help and went to investigate. He managed to release one boy before becoming trapped himself.
Lucky
“Fortunately the swift actions of the firefighters, who were able to assess the situation and effect a rescue using their ladders, meant that all three were released safely. They had a very lucky escape and had the alarm not been raised so swiftly things could have ended very differently.
“The site had a lot of standing water and excavations and as such was a precarious place for children to investigate. We would urge parents to remind children of the dangers of playing in places that are unsafe and the risks that they could face.
“Hopefully all three will make a swift recovery.”
It later emerged that the boys involved in the rescue operation are brothers, named locally as Jack and Peter Watt.
This afternoon the boys were collected from school by their mother, Tracey, following their first day back in class after the Edinburgh half-term break.
Leaving Niddrie Mill & St Frances Primary School, Ms Watt refused to discuss her boys’ eventful last day on holiday.
“I know plenty about it,” she said, adding: “I’m not saying anything.”
Ms Watt, who had mid-length dark hair and was dressed in black, was accompanied by around six other children. She was also with a friend who confirmed her and her sons’ names.
Several local mothers at the school gates also identified Ms Watt as the mother of the two brothers rescued by emergency services last night.
