This is the moment the hapless driver of a £20K Range Rover Evoque almost lost their prized motor after reversing down the muddy banks of a fast-flowing river.
The four-wheel drive vehicle can be seen slipping and sliding in the harbourside mud after being unable to gain any traction.
It came after an un-named female driver helped launch a grey rigid-hulled inflatable boat into the River Arun in Littlehampton, West Sussex.
She had hitched a trailer to the back of her vehicle and reversed it into the waters but became stuck in the mud around midday on Sunday and could not get out.
Thankfully the vehicle was pulled to safety by lifeboat crewmen from a nearby RNLI station who had spotted the saga.
But an eyewitness, who does not wish to be named, slammed the driver for being a “drain on resources”.
They said: “It was farcical. The driver should not have driven off the slipway and onto the mud.
“Thankfully the RNLI station is close by and they came to rescue.
“No lives were in danger but what a complete waste of the RNLI’s time and resources.”
He added: “The slipway ends rather shorter than the water and the tide was coming in.
“She launched the boat. When the motor started going backwards she realised she needed to move the Range Rover forward. At that point there was no traction.
“After a good few minutes they intervened and assisted her. They had to go into the water and unhitch the trailer.”
A spokesperson for the RNLI said: “Two members of the crew were in the boat house getting ready to leave when they saw the lady having trouble, so they went out and pulled the vehicle from the mud.
“There was no formal involvement by the RNLI, no lifeboat launched, no tractors used, it was just down to the two crew.”
