A walker stuck in waist-deep mud on Weston beach was rescued by Burnham’s BARB hovercraft and Coastguards on Tuesday (February 11th) in a race against the incoming tide.
Crews from Burnham’s BARB Search & Rescue were called out by Coastguards at 3.30pm when the man was spotted to be in difficulty with the tide incoming nearby.
Several Weston Coastguard Mud Technicans were flown out onboard BARB’s Light of Elizabeth hovercraft to reach the person, who was 900 metres down the beach in bitterly cold conditions.
He was safely freed from the mud before being taken onto the hovercraft and flown up the beach to safety where ambulance crews were waiting to take him to hospital for the early signs of hypothermia.
Due to the strong winds and bitter cold, the Coastguard helicopter was also called to the scene and landed on the beach for their medical team to help. Teams from Weston Fire Station, SWASFT, Clevedon and Weston Coastguards were also involved.
Mike Lowe, BARB Operations Manager, said: “This was a fantastic rescue resulting in a life saved thanks to joint working with partner agencies. Full credit goes to the hovercraft team for flying in these bitterly cold and extremely windy conditions. Our thoughts go to the man for a speedy recovery.”
