A driver was left red-faced and with a hefty repair bill after their car was swallowed up by the rising tide at a Sheppey beach this morning.

Whitstable RNLI, the Sheppey coastguard and Kent Police attended Leysdown Beach at around 7.45am to find the vehicle, which appears to be a 4x4, almost completely submerged.

Isabella Grimandi, who was walking along the shore when it happened, said: "When I first saw it, the car was parked very near the water's edge - I was thinking the driver must be crazy.

The submerged 4x4 vehicle at Leydown Beach, Sheppey

The car at Leysdown Beach, Sheppey

"There was no driver around, just holiday makers taking pictures of it.

"It's very strange that you would drive a car so far out on the mud flat because even people walking too far there get stuck."

A police spokesman confirmed the vehicle still has not been recovered.

She added: "Enquiries are ongoing to locate the owner."