Published: July 3, 2009
Burnham Coastguards rescue stranded climber on Brean Down

A rock climber was rescued by Coastguards from Burnham-On-Sea on Thursday afternoon (July 2nd) after getting stranded on cliffs at Bean Down.

One of the Coastguard team was lowered 40ft down the cliffs to reach the man, who was in his early 20s and from Weston.

"Unbelievably, the man was in his shorts and trainers. He was not equipped for climbing, and did not have proper ropes or safety equipment," said Burnham Coastguard Officer Dave Welland, pictured right.

"He had climbed down the cliffs so far and then found he could not go any further, so alerted Coastguards."

A climber from the Coastguard team was lowered down to the man, where he was fitted with a safety harness and lowered to the bottom of the cliffs.

Mr Welland added: "He was shaken up, but otherwise unhurt."

"People should not try climbing on these cliffs without proper safety equipment. The rocks here are dangerous because of the steepness of the cliffs and the loose shale on top."

RELATED LINKS:

Coastguard website for Burnham-On-Sea