A council is warning of the potential dangers of quicksand after a young girl became stuck waist-deep at a popular tourist spot on the Suffolk coast.

East Anglian Daily Times: It is said areas near the lagoons that fill in high tide are the scenes of the danger Picture: TIM GREENIt is said areas near the lagoons that fill in high tide are the scenes of the danger Picture: TIM GREEN

The youngster, believed to be between seven and eight years old, was visiting Shingle Street with her mother last week when she got into difficulty.

She had been walking along an area where a lagoon usually fills during high tide, when the ground - covered in a thin layer of shingle - started to sink beneath her feet.

According to the local parish council, the mother believed her daughter was simply "messing around".

But the incident quickly became serious when the girl sank deeper and deeper, eventually up to her waist.

Desperately trying to free her daughter, the mother got into difficulty herself but finally helped her to get free by instructing her to point her feet down and wriggle out of her wellington boots which she lost in the quicksand.

Signs to warn of the dangers in the area would be the responsibility of the parish council or East Suffolk Council.

Judi Hallett, Hollesley parish council clerk, said the incident was "very concerning" and the council would act to prevent such incidents happening again.

"Signage would be the way to go as we have so many visitors," Mrs Hallett said. "We can alert local residents about the dangers through our grapevine, but there is no way for any visitors to be made aware."

The issue will be raised at the next parish council meeting.

It is not the first time a person has got into difficulty. A man got stuck in similar "quicksand-like shingle" in April 2017. It is understood that neither the man nor the girl and her mother suffered any injuries as a result of their ordeals.

East Suffolk Council was unable to reply to requests for comment before this newspaper went to publication.

The area has recently been a key location for filming, with Danny Boyle's Yesterday - predominantly set in East Anglia - featuring the shoreline, while the upcoming Sutton Hoo movie The Dig has seen Netflix camera crews set up at the beach near Hollesley Bay.