Burnham-On-Sea Coastguards were called out three times in an hour on Sunday (September 15th) to incidents on Brean and Berrow beaches as the hot weather boosted numbers of visitors.
They were called to a person in difficulty in beach mud, a person suffering a possible heart attack, and a stuck minibus.
In the first incident shortly before 3.45pm, the BARB hovercraft and Burnham Coastguards were called to a group of people wading across the mud at Brean.
“While most of the group made the right choice and headed back in, one of them wanted to see how far he could walk. This wasn’t the best choice to make, especially with an incoming tide and the energy-sapping mud gripping their legs,” said a Coastguard spokesman.
“A member of the public who was on Brean Down had spotted the person out in the mud and rightly called the Coastguards. After arriving on scene we got a visual on him and decided that he was nearing the harder standing and that no mud rescue intervention was required. Instead, we sent two Coastguard rescue officers to meet him and give safety advice.”
The BARB hovercraft was stood down en-route as it flew in from Burnham-On-Sea to provide help if required.
In the second incident at 4.30pm, Coastguards assisted the ambulance service in helping a man off Brean beach who had become unwell after a possible cardiac arrest and was in need of medical assistance.Â
The Coastguard spokesman said: “One of our team waited by the entrance to the beach to guide the ambulance crew to the right location on the beach while the rest of the team headed to the casualty to work out the options for moving him if needed. Once the ambulance arrived they established that he was OK to move and carefully walked him to the ambulance for further checks.”
In the third incident at 4.45pm, a minibus became stuck in soft sand on nearby Berrow beach.
“Unlike most vehicles we get tasked to, this one was actually at the very top of the beach and had sunk into the loose soft sand,” added the spokesman.
“We were able to assist the minibus with a hefty push from the team. In a matter of seconds it was freed, enabling the family to make their way home following a fun day at the beach.”
The spokesman added: “Three call-outs, each one very different, just show we never know what kind of incident we will be called to, but whatever it is we are always ready.”
Pictured: Burnham Coastguards and BARB in action at Brean and Berrow (Photos: Burnham Coastguards / BARB)
