A BOBBY has been praised for wading into thick mud to rescue a youngster who got stuck while fishing in a pond.

The un-named 11-year-old boy was fishing alone with a net in a pond near the Harperley Hotel, at Tanfield Lea, near Stanley, County Durham, on Sunday evening.

He started sinking in the mud at the side of the pond - eventually up to his waist - and had to cling to a tree trunk to stop himself from slipping further into the quagmire.

He was discovered by his father, who had gone looking for him when he did not return home, and the alarm was raised.

Five officers from Stanley arrived and PC Chris Little, 25, supported by colleagues who formed a human chain, ventured into the mud to pull the youngster to safety.

The boy was shocked but otherwise unharmed.

A Durham force spokesman said: "The officers said he was very lucky. But for that tree trunk supporting him, he could have been in very severe difficulties.

"PC Little had no idea what he was getting into when he went into the mud. His insurance was that he had colleagues hanging on to his belt to stop him sinking.''

He added:"It emphasises and underlines the attraction of, and the danger to, children of lakes, ponds and running water - danger that can catch them out.

"The officers behaved exactly as we would have expected them to. The boy was distressed and, as they were the first on the scene, they took action to get him to safety as soon as possible."