A TEENAGER who broke his ankle had to be rescued from the mud at a reservoir by firefighters.

The 17-year-old was stuck up to his knees near the shoreline at Elton Sailing Club on the banks of Elton Reservoir off Buller Street in Bury.

Fire crews arrived just after 2.30pm today with Bury, Whitefield and Heywood’s Water Rescue Unit.

Craig Pinder, station manager for Bury and Whitefield Fire Stations, said: "Due to the casualty's calm condition and the scene at no risk of deteriorating, a decision was made to wait for the arrival of the specialist team from Heywood.

"The water rescue team led by Watch Manager Moran utilised two inflatable rescue paths with kick boards to get access to the casualty were the crews worked alongside the HART (Hazardous Area Response Team) to remove the young man’s legs from the mud.

"The young man had sustained an injury to one of his ankles which required pain relief before being placed on the stretcher and removed from the mud to the awaiting ambulance.

"All services worked extremely well together and hopefully the young man will make a speedy recovery."

It is not clear how the patient became trapped in the mud in the first place.