A crew from Burnham-On-Sea’s BARB Search & Rescue was called out on Sunday afternoon (January 13th) to rescue this vehicle stuck in mud on Brean beach.
Volunteers from the charity were alerted at 2.50pm when Brean’s beachwarden raised the alarm to the Coastguard Control Centre.
The VW Polo driver, from Bristol, had got into difficulty during a visit to the beach with his partner.
The car’s wheels sank into the soft sand and mud half a mile down the beach. And while the two occupants inside managed to get out safely, the vehicle was stranded.
In bracing winds, the BARB volunteers attached a rope to the rear of the vehicle and hauled it to safety before the tide could reach it.
The driver, who is from Bristol, thanked BARB and the beachwarden, saying: “I’ve only had the car three days, so it was a heart-stopping moment when it got stuck with the sea close by. I didn’t think we were far enough down the beach to get stuck.”
“I felt embarrassed to need rescuing, but I can’t thank the volunteers enough. They really were marvellous and I am making a generous donation to BARB to cover their time and costs.”
It is the first incident of 2019 in which a vehicle has got stuck on beaches in the Burnham-On-Sea area.
A BARB Search & Rescue spokesman stressed that motorists should always heed warning signs and stay at the top of the beach, keeping to the hard sand.
Always call 999 and ask for the Coastguard if you see someone in difficulty and they will task the appropriate rescue service to help.
