BMW washed out to sea after being parked on beach overnight
A car has been spotted being washed out to sea after the driver parked it overnight on a beach.
The silver BMW was abandoned on St Agnes beach in Cornwall, according to witnesses but shocked on-lookers said they returned on Friday morning to find the vehicle had been swamped by the tide.
Local resident Esther Chase took pictures of the scene and said it was in the sea being tossed about by waves.
She said: "I think a family had driven down at 1am."
The owners of the vehicle have not been identified but the Coastguard said that they received a call at 3:40am reporting the car on a beach slipway.
Police said they had been alerted but were not attending the scene.
It is not clear how the car came to be in the water or how it will be removed.
A Coastguard spokesperson told Yahoo News: “At 3.40am today (4 September) HM Coastguard received a 999 call for assistance, reporting a car on a beach slipway at Trevaunance Cove, St Agnes.
“The caller was advised that the Coastguard cannot recover the vehicle, advised not to put themselves at risk and to contact a breakdown recovery service.”
“The landowner, police and St Agnes lifeboat were aware.”
Read more: Couple’s car submerged by tide 'because they wanted to get closer to sea
Drivers often misjudge the speed and height of the tide after parking their car on beaches and come back after leaving them unattended to find the vehicles submerged in the murky sea water.
In July, a car was pictured disappearing into the sand at Thurstaston Beach near Liverpool.
Images showed the black Jeep 4x4 with broken windows, in a huge hole filled with water.
The next month, a couple who “wanted to get closer to the sea” by driving on to a beach lost their car after it was submerged by the incoming tide.
The vehicle was left stuck on Brean Beach at Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, on Monday.
The local coastguard said the driver of the car drove so far out because he wanted to park as close to the water as possible, even though his wife asked him to stop.
The vehicle was stranded after its front wheels got stuck in the sand and the tide came in.
The couple were forced to abandon the car and leave it overnight on the beach.
Read more: Police carry out 'dawn raids' on campers who stayed overnight in Cornwall
The local coastguard said at the time: "This kind of error stirs up a lot of anger locally but we would like to say that no-one walks away scot-free in this kind of incident.
"This couple have lost their car, their transport home, their personal belongings and countless bills plus however long they will be without a car and that's without the emotional strain this brings.”
