Burnham-On-Sea Coastguards and BARB Search & Rescue crews were called to incidents on Brean beach over the last few days.
It follows two mud incidents where a person was in difficulty and, separately, where a family had reported their dog was briefly stuck.
“The first job was a call to Brean beach after a person was seen in the mud. They were walking and then sitting and then walking again.
When we arrived on scene the person was back on hard standing and had rejoined the group they were with,” says a Coastguard spokesperson.
“We approached the group who had been enjoying the sunshine and a few beverages and issued some safety advice about the dangers of wandering out into mudflats and as they had stated they were awaiting the tide for a swim we also gave them the advice not to swim after consuming alcohol.”
“They reassured us that they would change it to just a paddle before they headed off back home and thanked us for the safety info regarding the dangers of the mud.
We then stood down the BARB Search & Rescue hovercraft which was enroute along the beach.”
In a second, separate call-out at Brean, Coastguards and BARB were called to reports of a dog stuck in the mud.
“We were asked to attend for the safety of the owners but it is important to remember that it is very rare for a dog to become stuck in the mud,” adds the Coastguard spokesman.
“They are very light, have four paws that spread the weight and generally love to run around in a the biggest muddy puddles they can find.”
“They might not hear you calling them due to the constant blowing wind in Burnham and the sound of the water but they do 99% of the time come back once they have had their fun.”
“Don’t try and walk out to them as we only have two paws that we walk on and tend to sink a lot easier than the furry family members.”
“As expected, before we even reached the station, the dog was reported as out and safe and we were stood down quickly.”
Always dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard if you have concerns for anyone in the mud.
