A POLICEWOMAN who was trapped up to her waist and sinking deeper in quick sand on a perilous beach has exclusively told the Express of the moment she thought she was a goner.
Mandy Simpson and her five-month-old spaniel puppy, Lilly, who were slowly being swallowed up by treacherous mud, said to herself: "This is it. I'm going to die!"
It took 20 minutes for her screams to be heard before she was rescued by three locals who knew the hidden perplexities of the sands and coaxed her out of the bog before grabbing her.
Mandy, a popular 44-year-old Police Community Support Officer - who was trying to get a closer look at the controversial Antony Gormley statues in the Irish Sea off Crosby Beach in Merseyside - literally saw her life flash before her eyes.
Her plight - and subsequent rescue - hit the headlines globally and the town this week was happy to welcome her, and Lilly, back in one piece.
Mandy, who works in Poynton and lives on Buxton Road, Macclesfield, had only been walking for 15 minutes when her feet began to sink into soft sand.
She had to use every ounce of her strength and energy to stay afloat as she sank deeper - before Good Samaritans heard her cries and guided her out of the death trap.
Describing the drama she said: "I went for a walk and the next minute I was sinking fast. I was screaming for my life, and with no-one within earshot I just thought 'This is it! I'm going to die'.
"And even when they did hear I didn't think they would come anywhere near me because they would get trapped too.
"I had to sprawl forwards to distribute my weight while Lilly clambered on the back of my legs getting more and more traumatised."
Worried members of the public called 999 and even ran the 500 yards along Crosby Beach to the coastguard station to bang on the doors to alert them.
But by the time they arrived in a Toyota Hilux 4X4, three men with ground knowledge of the lower lying parts of the beach, had shouted instructions for Mandy - and Lilly - to scramble to safety.
Two of the men eventually pulled Mandy out onto firm ground where the coastguard was waiting for the casualty of the infamous stretch of sand.
She was taken to their station where she was treated for shock and given a change of clothes as her walking boots and jacket were soiled by foul smelling mud and sand.
She said: "All my stuff was ruined and both Lilly and me were quite badly shaken up. They let me take a shower and loaned me a coastguard's uniform to wear on the drive home."
Craig Sym, Crosby Coastguard watch assistant, said: "It must have been an incredibly stressful situation, but it could have been a lot worse.
"The further north you go on the beach the softer and more dangerous the mud gets, but fortunately the tide was out at the time and there were a lot of people around."
Mandy had made the 100 mile round trip to the north west coast last Wednesday to see the 100 controversial statues by Antony Gormley, creator of the Angel of the North, called Another Place.
The local authority, Sefton Council, had refused to extend permission allowing the life-sized sculptures of the artist's body, which have been there for 18 months, to remain on Crosby Beach, but gave them a stay of execution until next February.
And that decision is not one welcomed by Mandy who feels they are a danger.
She said: "There were no warning signs about the quick sand, and although I was fortunate, it's only a matter of time before somebody does die.
"Is a piece of art worth someone's life? Of course not, these statues are just lumps of iron on a beach."
And her opinion was echoed by rescue co-ordination centre manager, Sue Todd, who said: "They are a hazard to navigation, a continuing risk to beach users on this, a red flag beach, and specifically the area is well known for its soft sand and mud.
"We would warn others who come to view the statues to do so from a safe distance, ideally the promenade and to read and adhere to the safety signage which is posted at strategic locations along the beach."
Members of the Poynton community where Mandy has worked for 18 months, the same length of time the sculptures have been at Crosby Beach, have been quick to support her.
Former chairman of Poynton Parish Council, Roger West, said: "When I first heard about it I thought that Mandy was doing a Reginald Perrin running into the sea, but, joking aside, we are all so grateful for the happy outcome.
"She does such a brilliant job around the village and is such a valuable member of the community that everyone is relieved to have her back in one piece."
Mandy added: "It was only when I got home and my whole upper body strength had gone with muscle fatigue that what happened really sunk in.
"It was pretty scary for me and Lilly."
