Twelve people were flown to safety by Burnham-On-Sea’s rescue hovercraft on Sunday evening (May 8th) amid concerns for their welfare.
Coastguards in Weston and Burnham called out BARB Search & Rescue’s hovercraft to fly a dozen people back to the shore after they were spotted in mud 300 metres from the shore.
“They had walked out across the mudflats to reach the sea for a paddle and several were struggling in the mud with a rapidly incoming tide,” said Weston Coastguard Station Officer Chris Perks.
A further eight people were also flown back to the shore from the same area due to safety concerns.
Mike Lowe, BARB’s Operations Manager, said: “We are always happy to help when needed. This incident – and the others over the weekend – were great examples of close team working with our local Coastguards, beach wardens and other services.”
Burnham Coastguards and a crew from BARB were also called to Weston at 4.15pm on Sunday to reports of a missing child, who was found a short time later safely under the Grand Pier.
It was a busy weekend for BARB and Burnham-On-Sea Coastguards, who attended seven call-outs in Brean, Uphill and Weston.
On Friday, a Honda 4×4 became stuck at Brean. It was recovered on Saturday afternoon in a separate, four-hour operation.
Two further vehicles, an Audi and a BMW, became stranded in the sea at Brean on Saturday evening.
And a family of five was also rescued from the mud at Uphill on Satuday afternoon by Coastguards, with the BARB hovercraft in attendance.
Late on Sunday evening, a search was launched in Burnham-On-Sea for a missing teenager.
