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December
26, 2005
Coastguards
in night-time search of Brean Down after sighting of flares
A
night-time search of Brean Down was carried out by Coastguards
during the early hours of Boxing Day, Monday December 26th, after
reports of emergency flares being seen in the area.
 Burnham-On-Sea's
Coastguard team rushed to the scene at 1.15am after staff at Bristol
Airport's Air Traffic Control centre made the sighting.
A
team of six Coastguards searched the Down for more than an hour
and launched several of their own parachute flares to illuminate
the rocky outcrop, but nothing was found.
On
returning to Burnham at around 3am, the Coastguard also investigated
an empty boat trailer and tow truck spotted on the town's seafront,
pictured below.
Fearing
that the owner may have been out at sea and been responsible for
the flares, Swansea Coastguard issued a radio message to all shipping
in the area.
 Shortly
afterwards, the owner of a local fishing boat, 'The Heron', confirmed
that the trailer was his and that he was night fishing in the
Bristol Channel and had not launched the flares.
Burnham
Coastguard station officer Steve Bird said: "On this occasion
it was a false alarm with good intent."
"As
it was clear and calm at the time with good visibility, it is
likely that the rear tail-lights of cars on the Quantocks were
mistaken for flares or that fireworks had been let off in the
area."
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