The ‘lovely moment’ a woman from Bristol hugs a police officer who finds her stuck in a swamp

Two young women from Bristol who became stuck in a swamp at a park near Birmingham were rescued by police - with one seen hugging a police officer in relief.

The women were visiting the city when they became bogged down to their knees in a marshy area of Sutton Park on March 3.

And as night closed in, the pair called a friend for help who in turn alerted West Midlands Police which sent out a drone team to rescue them.

Drone footage released by the force shows the moment one of the response officers was guided to the pair.

They were met with a hug from one of the women.

Sergeant Keith Bennett said: “They were unfamiliar with the area, stuck in boggy ground and it was pitch black…it would have been a scary situation for anyone.

“They’d been stuck for about 30 minutes and their phone batteries were running low. They called a friend who went on to alert us at around 6.20pm.

“Even through the trees our thermal camera and skilled drone operator was able to find the women after a lengthy search over what was a large expanse of ground.

“It was a lovely moment to see one of them giving the officer a hug on the relief of being found.”

West Midlands Police has 15 drones which support operations. Avon and Somerset Police also make use of drones as part of its work.

They can be used for finding missing people, tracking crime suspects and policing protests.