A major search of the Burnham-On-Sea coastline was launched on Friday morning (May 24th) for a missing person.
Police called out members of Burnham Coastguards and BARB Search & Rescue to help the hunt for a missing man. A hovercraft was launched and over a dozen crewmembers joined the beach search.
A BARB Search & Rescue spokesman said: “BARB’s volunteers had an early start to the day when we were called out at 5.31am by Coastguards to assist with the search for a missing person.”
“Our hovercraft was launched from Burnham beach and flew along the coastline to Brean, while several of our crewmembers also conducted a foot search of the beach with Burnham Coastguard Rescue Team from Burnham to Brean Down for the missing man.”
“The matter was left in the hands of Avon and Somerset Police at 9.20am when the search area had been completed.”
A Burnham Coastguard spokesman added: “There was information that the person may be in the area so it was our job to search the coastline starting from Burnham Yacht Club all the way up to Brean Down and also Brean Down itself.”
“With such a large area to cover it was decided to bring in BARB Search & Rescue to help boost numbers and to utilise their extra vehicles to help drop search teams off and collect them after.”
“One team of Coastguard and BARB members carried out a foot search starting from the yacht club and headed North along the beach towards Brean.”
“BARB’s hovercraft was sent on a sweep of the tideline and other search teams were tasked to Brean to check access points, car parks and surrounding areas before searching the beach from Brean Down heading South to Burnham.”
“The first team heading North from the Yacht club carried out their foot search right the way up to the Berrow Wreck including covering sand dunes along the way and the other team covered plenty of ground too.”
“Once this was done, the BARB team members returned to their station while we carried out a search of Brean Down as a last effort to ensure we had covered everywhere.”
“With no new information or anywhere else we could search we were stood down and returned to station for a well-earned cold drink after an early morning five-mile walk in the lovely sunshine.”
“Although nothing was found it is still important to have covered this area as if there is even a small chance of them being there then it is worth the effort even to eliminate it from any ongoing enquiries. Stay safe and if ever you are in any doubt about a person’s wellbeing along the coast, dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard.”
