THIS is the moment frantic beachgoers tried to rescue stranded cars from a rising tide on a beach at Weston-Super-Mare during a heatwave.
A woman whose apartment overlooked the beach said she noticed the tide coming in at around 8.20pm last night.
Two park cars were washed away by a rising tide on a beach at Weston-Super-Mare
Around 15 people tried to rush the flooded cars out of the water, to no avail
The lady, who doesn’t want to be named, explained that several cars parked on a strip of beach nearing the water, ignoring high tide warning signs.
Several drivers did not return in time for the incoming tide.
A group of around 15 people tried to fruitlessly push a red car out but the combination of the rising tide and its sinking into the sand made it impossible to save.
A passing beach warden pick-up truck then tried to pull it out again without success before the sea swallowed up two vehicles.
In total the woman said around five cars were damaged.
She added: “We just sit out there (on the balcony overlooking the sea) chilling with a cup of tea and saw the tide coming in and the cars still parked on the beach.Â
“We’ve seen it happen before. Last night it was because several cars got caught out.”
A few members of the public saw what was going on and tried to push this red car out. But for some reason it won’t budge.Â
“Then the beach wardens patrol all the time and they just spotted it and help was needed and went down and attached his car to the one in the water and pulled it you.
“Meanwhile about 10 yards away the black car was being submerged.”
Mike Somolon, a civil servant at North Somerset Council, said: “There are signs everywhere warning people about the tide.
“Unfortunately they either forget or don’t pay attention, park their cars on the beach and wander off without a thought about the tide.
“We do our best to remind people but every year this happens and it is usually tourists.
“I am waiting for a full report about Saturday night’s incident but my understanding is the beach wardens tried to pull out a red Jaguar.”
It comes as the UK faced another heatwave in August, with Brits warned to stay out of the heat as temperatures peaked at 35C.
And July was the driest on record since 1935, scorching grass areas across the UK, starting wildfires and drying up our reservoirs as a result.
Water companies have also issued hosepipe bans in a desperate effort to save the UK’s water supplies.
