The owner of this 4×4 has described his ‘shock’ at seeing his vehicle plunge into a fishing lake at a Brean holiday park earlier this week.
Holidaymaker Andy Ellis, pictured, told Burnham-On-Sea.com how his Ford Maverick rolled into deep water at Warren Farm holiday park after he inadvertently left his handbrake off.
Staff at the park launched a rescue mission by using a rowing boat to reach the vehicle, before attaching rope to it. They then towed it out of the water, but it was too late to save the vehicle, which is expected to be a write-off.
Andy, from Saffron Walden in Essex, told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “I parked up next to the lake to go fishing and walked round to the back to get our dog out. As I was putting his lead on, I heard a lot of shouting behind me.”
“I swung round and was shocked to see the car rolling through a gap in the wooden stakes into the lake. I ran after it and got the door open, but there wasn’t enough time to put the brake on and stop it going into the lake.”
“I couldn’t believe what had happened. It was a complete shock and I still don’t know why the handbrake wasn’t fully on.”
Andy praised staff and fellow holidaymakers for their quick action to try and save the vehicle. “Everyone was wonderful and very helpful. The staff rowed out in a boat and managed to fix a rope to the car, before towing it out. I am very grateful to them.”
The 90-minute rescue operation took place in front of a crowd of around 200 holidaymakers last Sunday evening (August 9th).
Deputy Manager Mike Harris told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “Our staff managed to tow the vehicle out after it rolled into the middle of the lake. It was a terrible moment for Andy and he was so unlucky that it happened in the only area of our car park where a wooden stake was missing beside the lake.”
Andy says the incident has turned a cheap holiday into a very expensive one. “We decided to come to Brean instead of Spain this summer to save money, but in the end it’s cost us a lot more.”
“I lost some fishing equipment in the car and replacing the vehicle will cost us around £3,000. I have approached our insurance company, who believe it probably is a write-off, although they are going to inspect it. We are still waiting to hear whether we’re getting compensation.”
