Twelve people were flown to safety by Burnham-On-Sea’s rescue hovercraft on Sunday evening (May 8th) amid concerns for their welfare.

Coastguards in Weston and Burnham called out BARB Search & Rescue’s hovercraft to fly a dozen people back to the shore after they were spotted in mud 300 metres from the shore.

“They had walked out across the mudflats to reach the sea for a paddle and several were struggling in the mud with a rapidly incoming tide,” said Weston Coastguard Station Officer Chris Perks.

A further eight people were also flown back to the shore from the same area due to safety concerns.

Mike Lowe, BARB’s Operations Manager, said: “We are always happy to help when needed. This incident – and the others over the weekend – were great examples of close team working with our local Coastguards, beach wardens and other services.”

Burnham Coastguards and a crew from BARB were also called to Weston at 4.15pm on Sunday to reports of a missing child, who was found a short time later safely under the Grand Pier.

It was a busy weekend for BARB and Burnham-On-Sea Coastguards, who attended seven call-outs in Brean, Uphill and Weston.

On Friday, a Honda 4×4 became stuck at Brean. It was recovered on Saturday afternoon in a separate, four-hour operation.

Two further vehicles, an Audi and a BMW, became stranded in the sea at Brean on Saturday evening.

And a family of five was also rescued from the mud at Uphill on Satuday afternoon by Coastguards, with the BARB hovercraft in attendance.

Late on Sunday evening, a search was launched in Burnham-On-Sea for a missing teenager.

 
Subscribe to our free news updates and join our other subscribers.
No spam, we promise. You can unsubscribe at any time and we'll never share your details without your permission. View our privacy page
Select all options that you require: