A good Samaritan had to be rescued by local firefighters after he became stuck in the mud in the Thames mangroves.
The man had gone into the mangroves behind Goldfields shopping mall on Saturday at 8.30am to return a stray shopping trolley that was dumped in the mud.
But his good deed turned into a mucky ordeal when he soon found himself waist deep in mud and unable to wrestle his way free.
Firefighters, who were alerted by locals, managed to tie a rope around the man before pulling him to safety.
![Firefighters managed to tie a rope around the man before pulling him to safety. Photo / Thames Fire Brigade](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/56OUUKBQAQL6MLJDRFKB4F4HD4.jpg?auth=6f4b2413b4f195dc8f9644897737396d4c11457472ba6a1bd06ce6bba340f3ab&width=16&height=9&quality=70&smart=true)