North Devon Council staff rescued from mud
Two council staff who were stuck up to their waists in mud, have been rescued from a river bank in Devon.
The man and woman worked for North Devon Council and had been surveying the water in the River Torridge, the authority confirmed.
They were rescued by Devon and Somerset Fire Service and were not injured.
Jeremy Mann, the council's head of environmental health and housing, said the pair were carrying out "routine mussel sampling".
"Two members of staff were carrying out routine mussel sampling in the estuary when they became stuck in the mud," he said.
"Thankfully they were rescued and are both unharmed. They would like to thank the emergency services for all their help."
The emergency services were alerted by a member of the public at about 12:15 GMT.
A rescue helicopter from RAF Chivenor was sent to the scene and then stood down because they were not injured.
- This story was amended on 14/03/14 following new information from North Devon Council and the Environment Agency