THREE stranded cars were dragged out by search and rescue crews after being submerged in Brean

Crews from Burnham-on-Sea’s BARB Search and Rescue team were forced to drag three stranded cars out of the sea after they were submerged in high tide.

It was a busy day for the crew on Saturday, as they were called out multiple times to motorists in difficulty in Brean after motorists were caught out by exceptionally high tides.

The rescue team has now issued a warning to beachgoers and to motorists to check tide times before they go to the beach.

Crews were forced called out at 7.30pm after an Audi A5 was completely submerged by the high tide on Brean Down, with the vehicle only visible as it poked out of the sea.

Shortly after, the crew was called to a BMW 323 that could also not be saved in time before the tide reached it near the slipway onto Brean beach at 7.30pm.

A day before on Friday, a third vehicle, a Honda 4x4, got stuck in mud and was a swamped by the incoming tide at Brean on Friday evening.

The crew of BARB's Light of Elizabeth hovercraft and Burnham Coastguards worked together through Saturday to pull the vehicle out of the mud before the next high tide.

Mark Newman, chairman of BARB, urged people to check out tide times before they head to the beach.

Mr Newman said: "We would urge anyone using local beaches this week to carefully check the tide times. Speak with the beach warden if you have any questions before leaving your car.

“Also, always heed the warning signs and stay away from the muddy areas of the beach to ensure you don’t put yourself into any potential difficulty."

BARB is an independent charity run by a team of 20 volunteers in Burnham. It operates two rescue hovercrafts and two inshore rescue boats which are funded entirely by donations from the public.