Why you don't drive on the mudflats

[rmp]

"We couldn't afford the cost of the commercial recovery service from Weston, so brought our own tractor across from Caerphilly to do the job. It was a 140 mile trip to get here, which took seven hours, because we had to use lots of minor roads, not motorways"




These were the scenes on Brean beach on Monday afternoon (May 11th) when the owners of a vehicle that had become stranded in mud at the weekend managed to retrieve it.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/05/809.jpg
Burnham-On-Sea.com first reported on Sunday (http://www.burnham-on-sea.com/news/2009/brean-4x4-lost-10-05-09.php) how the Nissan Patrol 4x4 got into difficulty after being driven approximately half a mile out from the beach near Brean Down. Its owners, who are on holiday from South Wales, managed to escape from the vehicle but there was no time to retrieve the vehicle from the rapidly-incoming tide.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/05/810.jpg
Once the tide had receded, the owners used spades to try and loosen the mud-plugged vehicle - before a tractor was brought in to help.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/05/811.jpg
A tractor was especially driven over from Wales by the vehicle's owners to help. Owner Chris Jones explained to Burnham-On-Sea.com: "We couldn't afford the cost of the commercial recovery service from Weston, so brought our own tractor across from Caerphilly to do the job. It was a 140 mile trip to get here, which took seven hours, because we had to use lots of minor roads, not motorways."
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/05/812.jpg
The vehicle finally started to move, with the help of a long tractor rope, a short time later and within minutes it was finally inched out of the hole.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/05/813.jpg
While the car was successfully pulled free from the mud, the inside of the vehicle, its electronics and engine will all need extensive work after two tides passed over it.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/05/814.jpg
At least now it was back on dry land, away from further incoming tides...
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/05/815.jpg
Click here to see online video and photos of Sunday's incident on Brean beach (http://www.burnham-on-sea.com/news/2009/brean-4x4-lost-10-05-09.php)


In photos: Stranded 4x4 car retrieved from mud on Brean beach (http://www.burnham-on-sea.com/news/2009/brean-4x4-retrieved-11-05-09.php)


Looks like quite a few cars get stuck there:



Burnham-On-Sea rescue hovercraft called to car stranded in mud
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/05/816.jpg
One of Burnham-On-Sea's rescue hovercrafts was called to Brean on Saturday morning (March 21st) after this vehicle became trapped in mud almost a mile from the shore.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/05/817.jpgA local resident raised the alarm at 7am after spotting the Vauxhall Corsa, pictured here, stuck on the mudflats near Brean Down.
The Light Of Elizabeth hovercraft, operated by Burnham rescue charity BARB, was launched with two crewmembers onboard to check that no-one was still inside the car.
BARB Operations Manager Steve Perks told Burnham-On-Sea.com: "There had been some concern that someone could still be inside because no-one could get close enough to check from the beach."
"We flew out to the vehicle and were able to quickly confirm that the occupants had escaped from the car and this was relayed to Coastguards."
The car was pulled out of the mud by a commercial vehicle recovery service from Weston-super-Mare later on Saturday morning.
It was later understood that the car had been driven out into the mud by several holidaymakers late on Friday, unaware of the dangers. The vehicle had been inundated by the incoming tide overnight.

[4x4x2]

Makes you wonder if it was worth the effort
it is only a datsun:)

[dullbird]

woopsie :D

[harry]

aah. we saved a bucket load on the cost of the recovery company that wanted us to pay for fuel and mileage even tho they were based in town, not ten minutes from the beach, they even wanted us to pay for any damage that their vehicle may have received whilst recovering our car,
no, no, i said, that could be two hundred pounds, we will get it out ourselves, i've got a tractor.





friggen idiots.

[Blknight.aus]

not to mention the wear and tear on the tractor.

[Sprint]

thats not gonna be cheap, its a Ti (luxury) spec patrol, so theres a full leather interior, and a bit more in electrics to be replaced.... ouch!

still.... i never knew they made the GU shape patrol in a SWB body..... still prefer the GQ tho

[p38arover]

still.... i never knew they made the GU shape patrol in a SWB body.....

Yep, seen a few in Aus.

[Newbs-IIA]

bwhahaha I have seen 2x4 hilux utes and commodore stationwagons up the beach but NEVER have i seen a Barina (that's basically what it is) BWHAHAHAHAH :D

probably would have made it out if they hadn't of stopped :p

[Grover-98]

I will certainly be keeping away from them!

[Chucaro]

Interesting, white number plate at the front and yellow at the back :confused:
Driving that amount of miles on the tractor without load it is not very good for the engine :(

[FenianEel]

They would've been better off taking the steering wheel to the wreckers, and trying to get a car to fit it!:D

[foz.in.oz]

Interesting, white number plate at the front and yellow at the back :confused:
Driving that amount of miles on the tractor without load it is not very good for the engine :(

Uk number plates have been white front yellow rear since the early seventies. The idea is that you know which way parked cars facing especially at night and have a better chance of picking the right side to pass on!!

[slug_burner]

Uk number plates have been white front yellow rear since the early seventies. The idea is that you know which way parked cars facing especially at night and have a better chance of picking the right side to pass on!!

Relying on the colour of number plates to determine on which side to pass would never work, they park with the vehicles pointing in either direction particularly when the road is narrow and parking is only possible on one side of the road.

[Cobber]

bwhahaha I have seen 2x4 hilux utes and commodore stationwagons up the beach but NEVER have i seen a Barina (that's basically what it is) BWHAHAHAHAH :D

probably would have made it out if they hadn't of stopped :pand why anybody would think taking a Corsa/Barina out there is a good idea is beyond me ?!

[3toes]

Relying on the colour of number plates to determine on which side to pass would never work, they park with the vehicles pointing in either direction particularly when the road is narrow and parking is only possible on one side of the road.

When I first came here I went to the local library (newagent) to read up on the road rules as the way they drove had some strange quirks. Found these to be either local rules or national ignoring of the rules. The parking one is a national ignoring the rules one.

Highway code UK
2. Parking (239 to 247)
do not park facing against the traffic flow

One day a private parking enforcement company will use this to ticket every car parked facing against the traffic and solve the national debt / deficit problem in a day.

[LoveB]

Merry Christmas! Don’t do what I did! :) | Mitchell Kanashkevich Travel and Photography Blog (http://www.mitchellkphotos.com/blog/2012/12/24/merry-christmas-dont-do-what-i-did/)

http://www.mitchellkphotos.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/03-Getting-more-stuck-650x433.jpg

[barney]

I want one of those hovercrafts

[Sitec]

I'm amazed they got that tractor that far... It's a Massey Ferguson 3095... (3000 series). They were plagued with electrical problems and would stop at any given moment!!! :p

[BMKal]

Had a similar situation just outside of Kalgoorlie a while back.

Some young kids drove a small Mazda (the one that looks like a bubble) out on a mud flat (admittedly - not tidal :o) not far from town. My young bloke reversed his work ute (79 series L/C with toolboxes etc on the back) out to rescue them, but all 4 wheels broke through the crust, and the rear end was on its diff.

They called the parents of the kids who were in the Mazda, who turned up in a Patrol wagon and a L/C 100 series wagon. Neither of these would venture out onto the mud flat after seeing what had happened to the young bloke's ute.

He then called me and I went out there in the D2 (the owners of the two jap wagons both laughed and said that a Landrover wouldn't have a chance).

I got the kids to do a lot of shovelling, tied the Mazda to the back of the L/C ute on a short rope, then let my tyres down to about 12psi, reversed the D2 out there, hooked a snatch strap onto the front of the L/C and pulled them both out in one go.

Young bloke was so impressed that he now owns the D2. :D

[Saitch]

Well, I've got to 'fess up that I've been stuck on mudflats. It was at Conway Beach, out from Proserpine, in the early '80's in the 11A. We drove out on to the flats a little way & then I commented to the wifey that we should have the hubs in. By the time we got out, put the hubs in & got back in the Landie had sunk. Luckily a few young fellas who'd been fishing were retrieving a boat & trailer with an old Fergie so got out reasonably quickly. In hindsight, if I'd put the hubs in pre-beach I probably wouldn't have got stuck as it was really only one patch but that's all it takes, hey?