Rescue crews from Burnham-On-Sea were called to Weston beach on Friday afternoon (October 9th) after a man digging for fishing bait got stuck in deep mud.
The middle-aged man had been digging near Knightstone Harbour when he got into difficulty with the tide coming in nearby, prompting a seafront walker to raise the alarm.
Coastguards from Burnham-On-Sea and Weston, plus two rescue hovercrafts from Burnham’s BARB Search & Rescue, were called to the scene at 2.15pm.
It was also the first local incident where the Coastguard’s new helicopter was called out since the former RAF rescue helicopter was retired last week.
Burnham Coastguard Officer Dave Welland told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “The man had got into difficulty whilst digging for worms and had tried unsuccessfully to dig himself out, leaving him exhausted.”
“The teams quickly reached him and brought him back to the safety of the beach where he was checked over by the helicopter paramedics and found to be shaken but unhurt. It was a successful multi-agency incident.”
