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Published:
November 25, 2006
Burnham Coastguards issue advice after three-hour
search for man
A
three-hour Coastguard search could have been avoided if a man
reported to be missing had made a quick telephone call to let
them know he was safe.
 That
was the message from Burnham-On-Sea Coastguards after a search
was launched in the early hours of Saturday (Nov 25th) for a 28-year-old
missing on Brean Beach.
A
search team of nine Coastguards from Burnham were called out at
4am after the Birmingham holidaymaker dialled 999 on his mobile
phone after becoming disorientated.
In
strong winds and heavy rain, a three-hour search of the beach
and dunes was carried out without any trace of the man being found.
Further
inquiries led the team to a nearby caravan park, where the man's
car was found. A short time later, the man was found safe and
well in a caravan with his mobile phone switched off.
Burnham-On-Sea
Coastguard Station Officer Steve Bird said: "The man initially
did the right thing in contacting the emergency services when
he became lost, but he should have kept his phone switched on
and let us know when he'd found his way back to his caravan site.
A
quick telephone call would have made our search considerably shorter."
"We
always treat every incident very seriously and do not want to
dissuade anyone from contacting 999 if they are in trouble, but
we also do not want to use resource time unnecessarily."
RELATED
LINKS:
Burnham-On-Sea
Coastguard
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