Got that sinking feeling! Rescue mission fails as tide swamps digger that got stuck on a beach… while trying to move a stranded truck
- The digger was sent to the front to save a truck from the incoming tide at Weston-super-Mare, Somerset
- While the truck was eventually moved, the digger got stuck instead and remained in place even today
- Pictures show that police were called, who warned onlookers that they should not stand and watch
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A digger that was sent to rescue a tipper truck stranded on a beach has been swallowed up by the sea after it also became stuck in the sand.
In farcical scenes, a second digger belonging to contractor MJ Church was sent in to try to save the first after it sank on the shoreline at Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, yesterday.
The tipper truck was eventually saved from the incoming tide but despite rescuers’ efforts the orange digger was today lost among the waves after the recovery mission had to be halted.
North Somerset Council said it will continue its recovery mission, telling Weston Mercury: ‘Our ongoing recovery operation is being managed around the tides after a digger became stuck in the sand yesterday afternoon.’
MJ Church told the local newspaper that the first truck had been at the beach as part of an earthmoving team that were carrying out sand reprofiling works.
A spokesperson said: ‘Two vehicles moving sand on the beach got stuck – the larger vehicle was successfully recovered but the other one could not be retrieved before last night’s high tide.’
A digger that was sent to rescue a tipper truck stranded on a beach has been swallowed by the sea after it also became stuck
In farcical scenes, a second digger belonging to contractor MJ Church was sent in to try to save the first after it sank on the shoreline at Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, yesterday
The tipper truck was eventually saved from the incoming tide but despite rescuers’ efforts the orange digger was today lost among the waves after the recovery mission had to be halted
Pictures show that police were called, who warned onlookers that they should not stand and watch
Pictures show that police were called, who warned onlookers that they should not stand and watch.
Weston-super-Mare and Worle Neighbourhood Policing said: ‘The Town Centre Team are currently dealing with a stranded digger on the beach. Please do not gather to see what’s going on as you will be moved on.’
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s Counter Pollution Branch were made aware of the incident and there has been no reported pollution damage at the moment.
The incident has attracted hundreds of comments on social media.
One person said: ‘Well that was silly…’
Another added: ‘That’s going to cost!’
Someone commented ‘That’s quite sad now’ while another one joked ‘The beach was hungry’.
The scene late into the night on January 5 as workmen tried to rescue a digger that had been sent to retrieve a stuck truck
Weston-super-Mare and Worle Neighbourhood Policing said: ‘The Town Centre Team are currently dealing with a stranded digger on the beach. Please do not gather to see what’s going on as you will be moved on’
The incident has attracted hundreds of comments on social media. One person said: ‘Well that was silly…’
A digger that was sent to rescue a tipper truck stranded on a beach has been swallowed by the sea after it also became stuck