Three women were left ’embarrassed’ after causing a call-out for Burnham-On-Sea Coastguards this week – despite a warning sign next to where they had sat.
The Burnham Coastguard team was called to Berrow beach earlier this week after several calls reporting three people had been seen wandering out through the mud to the tideline at low tide.
As the Coastguards tried to get onto the beach at Berrow, their access was partially blocked by parked cars, making it difficult to get quick entry.
Once on the beach they quickly located the three women, who were visitors to the area, and they made their way back to the beach.
A Coastguard spokesman said: “We arrived at the location to see three young ladies who were clearly the ones who we had been called to.”
“All three were heading in and all three had the familiar mud socks that come with sinking into the mud.”
The Burnham Coastguard team gave them safety advice, and urged them to heed the warning signs on the beach about the treacherous mud.
However, the ladies said they had not noticed the signs before making their way out to the shoreline.
The spokesman added: “We pointed them out and they felt very embarrassed, even more so when they realised that they had been sat on their towels directly in front of one of them. This is a great example of something we see a lot of.”
“It’s not stupidity, it’s an example of how easy it is to be distracted by life. Phones, tablets, relaxing on the golden sand and enjoying a stunning view all contribute to missing the obvious things in front of us.”
“The obvious things in front of you can often be overlooked by a distraction. We are thankful that the people involved were OK, we didn’t need to break out any rescue equipment and the ladies in question learnt a valuable lesson on beach safety.”
