Kayakers rescued from Bristol Channel

A rescue operation was launched after two kayakers were spotted stuck on mudflats near Brean.

Coastguards and the Burnham-on-Sea Area Rescue Boat (Barb) hovercraft were called on Sunday afternoon after beach warden Dave Furber spotted the pair half a mile out.

The alarm was raised just before 2pm when the pair, from Bristol, were seen wading through mud on a falling tide to reach the sea.

The Spirit Of Lelaina hovercraft, operated by BARB, was called to the scene by coastguards to travel out and check on the pair's safety.

BARB deputy operations manager, Graham Hallsworth, said: "It was the pair's first kayaking trip to Brean and they were unaware of the potentially dangerous nature of the mudflats and fast-flowing tides.

"We were happy to check on their safety and escort them back to the beach."

Barb, which is a charity and run entirely by volunteers, operates two rescue hovercrafts and an inshore rescue boat.

The organisation has helped and rescued over 200 people along the coast in the last 17 years.