A lifeguard and his quad bike were rescued after getting stranded in mud on Burnham-On-Sea beach on Thursday (August 10th), prompting a fresh warning about safety.
Crews from Burnham Coastguard and BARB Search & Rescue were called out shortly after 1pm to help the RNLI lifeguard who was visiting Burnham temporarily from another beach in Devon.
A Coastguard spokesman said: “We were tasked to help the RNLI lifeguard and a quad bike which, while patrolling Burnham beach, had become bogged down.”
“The lifeguard, who was temporarily covering Burnham beach from another beach in Devon, was just on his way back to the seafront lifeguard station after a routine beach patrol when his quad bike started to sink in the mud.”
“Quickly realising the error and how much it had sunk, the lifeguards called for assistance as there was no way of unplugging it by hand.”
“BARB Search & Rescue – who have great experience in pulling vehicles from the mud – were tasked and were quickly on scene to tow it out.”
“While not the most serious of jobs, it is a timely reminder that no matter who you are or how trained you are, you can get caught out by the mud on our beaches.”
“It’s important to remember that the reason for sinking was the weight of the quad. The lifeguard hadn’t been on a beach with such soft sand and mud before and was, by his own admission, caught out.”
“Being quite embarrassed and getting a fair amount of banter, he was sent on his way back to the lifeguard station where we’re sure he will have received a good dose of well-administered safety advice from the rest of his team members.”
“So please remember that the red safety flags are there for a reason, do not stray beyond them.”
If you see anyone in difficulty along the beach, contact 999 and ask for the Coastguard.
Pictured: The incident underway on Burnham-On-Sea beach on Thursday (photos Burnham Coastguard / Burnham-On-Sea.com David Pearce)
