TWELVE people and three cars were stranded off the coast of Burnham-on-Sea causing the rescue team's chairman to issue a public warning.

Beachgoers have been urged to not "throw caution to the wind" after the BARB Search and Rescue team in Burnham were called out multiple times over the weekend.

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

Mr Newman said: "At this time of the year it is easy to throw caution to the wind. In this weather people might like to wander out the long way to the water but we strongly advise against that. Head the warning signs, check the tide times and keep away from the mud.

"A big big thank you goes to our volunteers who put in really sterling work, and a thank you to their families because it means that they are taken away from relatives for the weekend.

"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."

On Friday, 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.

Mr Newman added: "It was an exceptionally busy weekend for our volunteers. We had the 4x4 stuck on Brean beach on Friday afternoon and then on Saturday we were called back out to that, which took more than four hours to release."

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.

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.

"On Saturday evening we had a further two vehicles stuck in the sea, which unfortunately we could not recover due to the exceptionally high tides," Mr Newman said.

"Then on Weston-Super-Mare beach we had a missing child who was thankfully found safe and well.

"In the evening on Sunday we were called out to rescue several people who were stuck in the mud. There were 12 overall that were rescue, four of whom were definitely struggling.

"It was an exceptionally busy weekend for our crews, who of course are all volunteers."

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.