All at sea: Family struggle in vain to rescue car they parked on the beach... forgetting about the tide

This is the moment an embarrassed family struggled in vain to pull their water-logged car from the sea after it was engulfed by the high tide.



The family were on their way to a holiday in Pontins in Brean when they decided to pull over and test out their jet ski at Burnham-on-Sea in Somerset.

But, after parking their Ford Mondeo estate on the sand, they clearly never expected the tide would come in and sweep their vehicle away.



A family from Wolverhampton, who did not want to be identified, struggle to rescue their car as it is swept away into the ocean at Burnham-On-Sea, Somerset



As the family tried their best to rescue the car from the sea, it sank deeper into the soft sand and mud, while the water lapped around it.

Crowds began to gather as the father desperately struggled to retrieve the family's belongings from inside the car.

But the rescue attempt proved unsuccessful, and the car was swept out to sea yesterday afternoon.



Coastguards and a rescue charity were dispatched at around 6pm to the coastline, which has the second highest tidal rise and fall in the world.

Rescuers had to wait 90 minutes for the tide to go down before a Burnham Area Rescue Boat (Barb) tractor could tow the car to shore.

A tractor from the Burnham Area Rescue Boat pulls the Ford Mondeo out of the sea. The car was written off



Mark Newman, chairman of Barb, said: 'We were alerted about 5.45pm that the family had struggled to move the vehicle.

'Unfortunately the call came in too late to pull them out. We were able to ensure that the family were safe.

'Fortunately the family managed to scramble away from the vehicle.



'There was a very fast incoming tide and there was a bit of a race against time. They managed to salvage their suitcases and holiday gear but unfortunately the vehicle couldn't be saved.

'The family were pretty distressed and shaken. One of our crew drove them onto Pontins, but the car appeared to have been written off.



'Salt doesn't mix well with cars.'

It has happened before: A Land Rover Freelander disappearing into thick mud in Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, in 2006

Lost out: The owners watched in horror as their £20,000 vehicle began sinking into the notoriously thick mud on Berrow Beach

The family, who did not want to be identified, made a donation to Barb in return for their rescue.

Several West Midland families are involved in dramas every year along the Somerset coast, which also includes Weston-super-Mare.

Mr Newman added: 'The Bristol Channel estuary does come in very quickly and we see this kind of incident frequently.

'This area is notorious for it. We get about 12 to 15 incidents like this each year.