A motorist’s 4×4 became trapped by the incoming tide after its wheels sank into soft sand on a Somerset beach.
The Volkswagen Tiguan got stuck in sand and mud after a hiker drove it too far on Brean Beach.
The Brean beach warden raised the alarm just before 4:30pm and Burnham coastguards quickly arrived on scene to verify the driver was out and no one else was inside.
Given its location so far up the beach, a commercial recovery service was called in to attempt to recover the vehicle before the tide could reach it.
However, the crews were unable to do so before the tide engulfed it.
A motorist had a sinking feeling when his car got stuck on Brean beach Sunday evening and was submerged by the incoming tide.
The wheels of the Volkswagen Tiguan sank into the soft sand and mud after a hiker drove it too far along the beach.
The Brean beach warden raised the alarm just before 4:30pm and Burnham coastguards quickly arrived on scene to verify the driver was out and no one else was inside.
The driver of the car, from the Midlands, told Burnham-On-Sea.com that he was visiting Brean on a day trip when the drama unfolded.
‘I didn’t realize the car would get stuck.
“I just drove out to sea and came to a soft spot where the wheels got stuck.”
He added: “I was shocked when I realized what was happening.”
A new attempt to recover the vehicle will be made.
The beach is notorious for the number of people who get stuck there, with countless incidents of stuck vehicles.
The driver of the car, from the Midlands, told Burnham-On-Sea.com that he was visiting Brean on a day trip when the drama unfolded.
Given its location so far up the beach, a commercial recovery service was called in to attempt to recover the vehicle before the tide could reach it, but were unsuccessful.
In 2020, a car ‘swallowed by the sea’ faced multiple failed attempts to free it.
And the coast guard issued a warning as there were reports of children “jumping on the roof” and urged residents to stay away from the area.
At the time, a Facebook post from the coast guard page said: “The ground around the vehicle could be unstable and have unexpected soft patches where you could get caught and the water around the vehicle could hide unseen hazards that could cause injuries, especially if you fall while climbing on it.
‘Please keep away from him at all times.’