A 16st dog gave rescuers a hefty problem when he became trapped in the mud of a Worthing boating lake.

Susan Howlett's giant old English mastiff, called Cromwell, got into trouble during their morning stroll when he decided to take a look at the lake but strayed too close to the edge.

The three-and-a-half-year-old animal tumbled in after the embankment gave way and ended up trapped in the slime at Brooklands lake, off Brighton Road.

Susan asked an onlooker to call the fire brigade but before the engines arrived two passers-by raced to the rescue and hauled the dog free.

Susan, 34, of Lancing Park, Lancing, said: "The dog went up to the edge of the water and the edge gave way. He sank down and went head over heels into the water and got stuck in the mud.

"I didn't know what to do. I ran for some help and managed to get a lady to call the fire brigade. Luckily, some park workers were passing and they could see I was struggling."

She said Cromwell - who eats 4lb of dogmeat and 2lb of biscuits every day - appeared none the worse for wear after his ordeal.

Chris Bradley, Worthing Borough Council's parks manager, said the council would investigate why the embankment gave way.