Boy rescued by firefighters after getting stuck in pond in Castleford

The 14-year-old was stuck up to his waist in mud, water and pit waste, off Whistler Drive, at 6.30pm last night (Tuesday). He had been playing on the waste ground with friends, who raised the alarm when they were unable to help him out.

The boy was dragged free by his arms by two firefighters before being airlifted to hospital. He was suffering from cold but not hypothermia.

Crews from Castleford, Pontefract, Wakefield and Rothwell attended the incident along with a technical rescue officer.

Crew manager Paul Boon, from Castleford Fire Station, said: “The boy was playing on waste ground when he got too close to the edge of the water. Ultimately his friends did the right thing and rang us but by the time we got him out he had been in the water for more than 20 minutes and was very cold.

“Children should not be playing near the water, or anywhere on the waste ground up there as it is a very dangerous area. The teenager’s friends tried to help him out but they could have ended up getting stuck as well. We had some heavy rain yesterday and if the water levels had risen even further the boy could have been in a much worse position.”