A HALF-NAKED man was lucky to be alive after he was trapped in mud for hours.

Dog walkers near Alresford Creek noticed a man in the mud flats at about 6.30am yesterday.

The man was only half dressed and appeared to be stuck in the mud.

One passer-by said: “A man walking his dogs came across a half-naked man trapped in the mud with the tide rapidly coming in. Emergency services rescued the man, believed to be a local man in his late 40s.”

The onlooker said: “He was wearing just a long T-shirt. Police said he was a lucky man.

“He had been in the mud for a few hours and was completely exhausted trying to get out.

“The tide was coming in, it was a remote part of Alresford Creek away from all the footpaths.

“It was lucky the dog walker saw him.

“He was extremely cold, hypothermia would have soon set in."

It was reported the man refused hospital treatment and walked off after the incident.