Burnham-On-Sea Coastguards were called to Brean during the early hours of Thursday morning (August 30th) amid concern that a herd of cows may have become stuck on the beach.
Crews were called out at 4.20am to investigate reports from local residents that several cattle may have been on the beach.
A Coastguard spokesman described as “quite an unusual tasking” and added: “The ops room received a number of calls from the public concerned that they could hear cattle in distress on the beach.”
“We were tasked to go and investigate and ensure that there was no risk to the public or any injured farmers.”
“The crew left the station, entered the beach at the town slipway and headed north towards Berrow and Brean.”
“Team members used torches to check the beach. As well as looking for the cow we also looked for signs of them being there, such as hoof prints.”
“At focal points such as known pathways and access points, the team was deployed to check in more detail but there was nothing to be found.”
“While this was going on, two team members – one of whom is a local farmer – investigated some of the fields and followed the noise that could be heard for miles.”
“They managed to track down where the noise was coming from and discovered that a gate had become closed between two fields causing the herd to be separated and they were calling each other.”
“With the low wind and cloud conditions sound really travels, and could be heard from at least a mile away.”
“Once we had established that there were no cows on the loose and no persons at risk we were able to stand down. With plenty of cow puns ringing in our ears, we headed off to bed.”
“It was a good call as the sound traveled a fair distance and did sound like it could’ve been on the beach. If you think anyone is in difficulty at the beach, dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard.”
