A TRANSIT van was engulfed by the tide after it was left on Brean beach by its owner.

BARB Search and Rescue were called at 7.36pm on Saturday (April 20) following reports a Transit van was stranded on Brean Beach and the tide was rapidly coming in.

Volunteers from BARB were sent to the incident and confirmed that no one was inside the vehicle but unfortunately the van could not be safely retrieved as the tide was coming in too quickly.

Once it was confirmed that the van's owner had been located by the beach warden and was safely away from the vehicle BARB was stood down by the Coastguard.

Following the incident, a spokesperson for BARB Search and Rescue issued advice to motorists.

"A key safety message here is to always check the tide times before driving onto local beaches," the spokesperson said.

"Speak to the beach warden if you are unsure."