They say that time and tide wait for no man and for these 15 unlucky motorists that was certainly true when they got themselves into a bit of a predicament on some of Cornwall’s best-loved beaches.
In just one year more than a dozen cars were rescued from one beach, which led to Cornwall Council looking at installing ‘dead end’ signs on the road leading to the sands.
The idea was raised after a couple visiting Cornwall for a wedding had a narrow escape when their car got stuck on Great Western Beach as the tide was coming in.
Read more:Town is being plagued by appalling and dangerous parking
Locals rallied together to help them and the Mercedes was eventually towed out of harm’s way.
Staff at the Great Western Hotel said it was a common occurrence and that signs on the road leading to the beach, Tolcarne Road, would help.
Since then we’ve even seen an ice cream and a Ferrari in quite the sticky situation – and we’ve no doubt there will be plenty more where that came from.
Here are fifteen times that cars nearly became boats:
Portreath Beach
A car became stuck in the sand after a driver parked on a beach in Cornwall in the dark back in May. The vehicle was found the next morning on Portreath beach after it stayed there overnight.
A spokesperson for the Portreath coastguard team shared the picture above on social media and explained that the motorist had driven onto the beach (Monday, May 17) – a regular occurrence in Cornwall.
They said: “Portreath Coastguard Rescue Team were tasked to reports of a car stuck on the beach at Portreath. On arrival we confirmed that a car had become stuck in the sand after they had driven onto the beach last night in the dark.
Car stuck on Portreath beach in Cornwall
(Image: Portreath Coastguard team)
“After their decision to camp overnight, a member of the public reported this on their morning walk. After attempting to free the vehicle with the police it was then decided to put the owner in contact with a local farmer who gave up their time to come a retrieve the vehicle from the beach.”
The coastguard continued: “The team issued some safety advice to the driver and pointed them in the direction of a more suitable parking spot. In trouble at the coast? Dial 999 and ask for the coastguard.”
Towan Beach, Newquay
Earlier this week a man watched in disbelief as a driver came down the slipway onto Towan Beach in Newquay, parked and got out with his family, including a young baby, and went for a walk.
His family got out and had a walk on the beach – after parking on the sand
You won’t be surprised at what happened next – he got stuck. A group of about ten people who were in the area tried without luck to get it free and the vehicle had to be dragged out by a tractor.
Witness John Barkham, who also went to the driver’s aid, said it was “complete stupidity” that led him to get into trouble as the tide was coming in quickly.
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“There was loads of people down there trying to help him, he was stuck for a good half an hour or so,” he said. “There was at least ten of us, but it just wouldn’t budge. It wasn’t going anywhere. Everyone was taking photos and videos and saying they were going to put in on YouTube.
“The sea got to just over the wheels, then a surfer came back down in a van and tied a rope on to try and get him out, but the rope snapped. I’ve never seen anything like it before. It was unbelievable.”
With help failing, the driver was then said to “give up” and simply started unloading his car, seemingly accepting that it would soon be covered by the rising tide.
“Then a tractor pulled up, just in time because the sea was coming in and it was already covering the wheels of the car,” added Mr Barkham. “He’s all smiles now. It was ridiculous, complete stupidity. I guess he didn’t want to pay for parking.”
Porth Beach, near Newquay
Last month A motorist in Cornwall had a difficult start to his week when he got stuck on Porth Beach.
Although on this occasion he was able to get off successfully, he was spotted by many people in the area and the incident was posted on social media.
Sharon Matley was passing by at the time and noticed the incident and she uploaded a photo of the hapless motorist’s stranded vehicle on social mediae.
“It was about 2.30pm [that I took the photo] and I didn’t like to ask how long he’d been there as he looked stressed,” she told Cornwall Live.
Polzeath Beach
In one of the worst we have ever seen, this car was spotted floating in the sea just off one of Cornwall’s most popular beaches in June 2021.
Polzeath Beach Ranger Service confirmed that fortunately nobody was inside the vehicle, a black Volkswagen.
The ranger service posted the photo on its Facebook page, with a warning urging people in the area to stay away from the water.
A car was pulled from the sea at Polzeath Beach this morning after it was spotted afloat in the early hours just off the beach
(Image: Polzeath Beach Ranger Service)
The police and coastguard were informed and aware of the situation. Photographs taken showed the car fully floating in the water at one point.
The beach ranger service confirmed that the incident was reported to the authorities at around 3am this morning.
The vehicle was checked, and it was confirmed that nobody was inside. The Environment Agency also attended and carried out pollution checks, and were “confident” there had been no pollution as a result.
Polzeath Beach Ranger Service also reminded the public that it is an offence to drive on any of the beaches in Cornwall, unless you have the permission of the landowner.
Black VW floating off Polzeath Beach (image: Polzeath Beach Ranger Service)
Andy Stewart, a spokesperson for Polzeath Beach Ranger Service later told CornwallLive: “The car was reported to the Coastguard and Police at 3am.
“It was confirmed nobody was inside, and it has been checked by the Padstow Harbour Authority for safety this morning before eventually drying out on the beach.
“The Environment Agency were also here carrying out random Bathing Water Quality checks this morning and were confident there had been no pollution.”
St Ives
The falling tide at St Ives revealed the top half of a submerged vehicle which left onlookers wondering just what had happened.
Crowds on the beach and Smeaton’s Pier could only watch as the new pick-up truck was uncovered.
The truck was pulled out after 12 hours
So why was the vehicle there? Well, it later turned out that the owner went to check his boat and his truck got stuck well and truly in the soft sand.
With the tide coming in he could do nothing to save it and had to abandon it and it remained in situ for about 12 hours.
It was down to the RNLI lifeboat crew to use their tractor to eventually pull it out.
Port Isaac
Admittedly not a beach, but a lucky woman was said to have “got away lightly” after leaving her car to almost sink on a slipway in Port Isaac this month.
Having left the red Renault Megane unattended in Port Isaac on Monday evening (July 26), the woman was said to have been “embarrassed” as she ran back to the vehicle as the tide rose around it.
The vehicle can be seen immersed in a shallow pool of water at the edge of the harbour and a witness said the owner was forced to “wheel spin” up the slipway having “got away lightly”.
He said: “It was obscured from view as a tractor was in front until it moved to pull in a boat. Then everyone noticed it.
An ’embarrassed’ woman rushed back to her car as the tide came in
“A woman came running down and jumped in. Tried reverse but ended up wheel spinning forwards and up the slip.”
He said that the vehicle was left “a bit wet” with the underneath of the car hanging off but that overall she had a lucky escape, although “didn’t look happy” about it.
“She got away lightly I think,” he added.
The picture captures the scene moments before the woman, who was alone, suddenly appears to rescue her car just in time as the tide rose and she escaped with it relatively unscathed.
Great Western Beach, Newquay
Dozens of people rushed to help after a tourist in a hire car drove straight onto a Newquay beach and got stuck in the sand.
The small silver Renault ended up on Great Western Beach at around 6.30pm as plenty of people enjoyed the late evening sunshine.
Despite several attempts by well-wishers to help the stranded motorist and push the car back off the beach, it proved too difficult and the car was still awaiting recovery an hour later.
An onlooker, who shared pictures of the incident with Cornwall Live, said: “It happened around 6.30pm, tourist with hired car. People on the beach tried hard to help however the car is too close to the barrier at the back.”
Well-wishers try to help the stranded motorist
Staff at the Great Western Hotel, which overlooks the beach, say cars driving down Tolcarne Road and finding themselves stranded on the beach has become a common occurrence.
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Newquay Police have been called to several incidents and earlier this year they tweeted: “Friendly advice! Don’t drive on the beaches in Newquay you may get stuck! Recovery will cost about £250! Use the car park.”
St Ives
Van stuck in the sand in St Ives
A driver made a frantic rescue attempt to retrieve his van after it was submerged in St Ives Harbour.
The man was tending to his boat at about 3pm while the vehicle was parked on the slipway opposite the The Sloop Inn.
Witness Clive Oxley said the man tried to drive his van off of the sand but the wheels started to spin and became buried. A group of people then came to the man’s rescue and tried to use ropes to tow it but they kept breaking.
Mr Oxley added: “Eventually they managed to tow it out with a thicker rope.”
Van in St Ives Harbour
He added that he thought the van hadn’t suffered any damage.
You might be surprised but we have seen this before – a car drives too near to the sea in Cornwall and gets stuck or worse.
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Great Western Beach, Newquay
A drunken man drove his car onto a Newquay beach and ended up in the sea. The driver has been spared jail.
Police were called to Great Western Beach in May where the VW Golf was found in the water.
The car that ended up in the sea ta Great Western Beach in Newquay
(Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)
One onlooker said officers made the driver climb out of the boot of the car. The driver pleaded guilty at Bodmin Magistrates’ Court to driving under the influence of alcohol. He was four times over the legal drink-drive limit when he drove to the shoreline.
A post on Facebook at the time showed the work required to remove the truck from the beach.
The car being towed from the shoreline at Newquay Great Western Beach
(Image: Simone Williams)
Jamie Clogg and Dean Cartmel, from Towan Motors, were thanked for their help to get it off the sand and to a safe location.
The 38-year-old driver from Newquay was given an eight-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months.
Treyarnon Bay, Padstow
An unlikely vehicle was towed to safety earlier this year after almost rolling over at a beauty spot. The incident happened on Friday, June 25, at Treyarnon Bay near Padstow.
The ice cream van found itself in a ‘precarious situation’ with fears it might roll on to the main walkway to the beach.
Padstow coastguards were called at around midday to assist the lifeguards with public safety.
They were also joined by the fire service. But it was ultimately a local farmer who saved the day and towed the van to safety.
The ice cream van at Treyarnon Bay
(Image: Padstow Coastguard)
A spokesman for Padstow Coastguard said: “The team were tasked to assist the lifeguards with public safety.
“On arrival on scene, it was apparent that a vehicle was in a precarious situation with fears it might roll on to the main walkway to the beach.
“The team set up a safety barrier and awaited the arrival of Padstow Fire and Rescue Service.
“In the meantime the situation was rectified by a local farmer.”
Towan Beach, Newquay
It was an humiliating moment as a driver got his car stuck on Towan Beach, at the same as time the tide came rolling in.
It is thought that the driver had ventured onto the sand to go for a surf.
Car gets stuck in sand on Towan Beach, Newquay
But soon after he must have had a sinking feeling when he discovered that the black hatchback car was stuck fast in the sand.
It took a team of the driver’s friends, several passers-by and a tow truck to free the water-damaged car.
One witness said: “A tow truck came and pulled them out. They were very lucky. I think they were surfers. If not, there were a lot of surfers helping them.”
It is the third car to have recently suffered a similar fate on a Cornish beach.
Great Western Beach, Newquay
A holidaymaker who got his Mercedes stuck on a beach in 2014 said he was hunting for a parking space.
Aaron Duckworth, 22, had driven down from Manchester to stay at the Great Western Hotel in Newquay.
Aaron Duckworth said he was looking for a parking space when he got stuck on the sand
(Image: SWNS – South West News Service)
He couldn’t find a parking spot and drove down a narrow road and straight onto the darkened beach at about 10pm.
But his white C-Class coupe quickly got stuck – with only an hour before the tide came in.
Red-faced Aaron said: “We were down for a wedding and the hotel – the Great Western Hotel – didn’t have any parking that I could see.
“There was a narrow road and I thought there was a car park down there. I couldn’t see any signs and it was dark and the next thing I know I was on a beach called the Great Western.
“I couldn’t steer the car or reverse. People I didn’t know came and helped us push it out. The police arrived too and told me I was the fifteenth person it had happened to that year.”
It took a team effort to get the car out
(Image: SWNS – South West News Service)
He added: “The tide was coming in and I was a bit panicky. It’s lucky there were so many helpful people.”
Marazion
A rather wealthy red-faced owner had to be rescued after getting his £120,000 Bentley stuck in the sand.
The young driver ventured onto the beach at Marazion in the luxury vehicle while his family enjoyed a barbecue. However, the man, thought to be Russian, then found himself in a spot of bother when the wheels kept sinking in the sand.
It took a determined team of locals more than five hours to free the Continental Flying Spur. You can view the video online.
The red-faced driver had to be rescued after getting his £120,000 Bentley stuck in the sand
Here’s what you had to say on our Facebook page – and there wasn’t a great deal of sympathy for the man in question.
Paul Hobbs: “Should have left it there.”
Vivienne Deakin: “What a total moron.”
Bob Groves: “£120,000 car being driven by a £12.50 brain.”
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Geoff Allbright: “Surely one can drive one’s Bentley wherever one desires. If the wretched thing gets stuck then the butler will come and tow it out.”
Mandy Robertson: “No grey matter …what a nitwit.”
It took more than five hours to get the car free
Jordan Beresford: “Even the tractor started to sink. Thing is the guy must be intelligent to be able to get a job to fund such a car yet stupid enough to think his 2.5-tonne car can drive through sand. Unless mummy and daddy bought it for him?”
Watergate Bay, near Newquay
And as if that wasn’t pricey enough, a £200,000 Ferrari spent a bit more time in the sand than expected when it was used for a photo shoot.
The lime green 458 Spider, which has a top speed of 200mph and is capable of 0 to 60mph in just over three seconds, it prompted concerns the vehicle had been driven onto the beach by a reckless owner, it later emerged that it was in fact being used in a fashion shoot for Official Ferrari Magazine.
It still required a tractor and trailer to pull it out the sand.
A Ferrari worth £200,000 got stuck after it was used for a photo shoot at Watergate Bay
(Image: SWNS)
The vehicle had been loaned to the magazine by the Carrs Ferrari dealership in Exeter and the plan was for it to take centre stage in a fashion shoot that will appear in a forthcoming issue.
Shortly after the vehicle was unloaded, however, its wheels became embedded in grooves in the sand that had been left by a tractor that delivered it onto the beach.
Ferrari confirmed that the incident had taken place, but said at no point was the vehicle at risk of being swept out to sea.
Great Western Beach, Newquay
A local farmer rescued a car on the resort’s popular Great Western Beach.
The farmer arrived in the nick of time, as the tide was lapping at the wheels of the car.
The driver had gone onto the beach in order to turn around, but was unable to get very far in the soft sand.
While the farmer made his way to the scene members of Newquay Coastguard took the driver’s elderly passengers, who were cold and had medical conditions, to a local hotel.
Farmer rescues car from Newquay beach
(Image: Newquay Coastguard)
Fortunately the driver was put in touch with the farmer, and arrangements were made to tow his car out moments before the tide arrived.
A spokesperson for Newquay Coastguard said: “The team was paged at 2.22pm on Saturday, December 2, to a report of a vehicle stuck in the sand at Great Western Beach in Newquay.
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“The team’s role was to ensure no members of the public were at risk, not to assist recovery of the car.
“On arrival the team made sure everyone was safe and conveyed the driver’s elderly passengers, who were cold and had medical conditions, to a local hotel where they were safe and warm.
“The driver had gone onto the beach in order to turn around, but had got stuck in the soft sand.
Farmer rescues car from Newquay beach
(Image: Newquay Coastguard)
“He was put in touch with a local farmer and arrangements were made to tow his car out. The farmer arrived in the nick of time, as the tide was lapping at the wheels of the car.”
“We remind people again, please do not drive onto beaches unless you are in a suitable vehicle and know it is safe.
“In any coastal emergency, dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard.”
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Towan Beach, Newquay
A delivery driver was attempting to turn around on Towan Beach, in Newquay, when it became clear that he was stuck.
Fortunately a group of men working on the nearby harbour wall came to the rescue and helped get the driver out in time to finish off the rest of his deliveries for the day.
Mark Watmuff was there as the incident unfolded and caught some pictures of the harbour workers lending a hand.
He said: “Lucky escape for this DPD driver this afternoon on a Newquay beach near the harbour. Good job the tide was out and these workers could pull him out or this situation could have been a lot worse.
“Anyway all ended up well especially for this embarrassed driver.”
He continued: “The guys that helped him are doing the harbour wall and are still there today. He thought he could turn around on the sand in a manoeuvre he soon regretted.
“Like I said it was a good job those guys were there doing the wall to help him out otherwise the DPD van would have ended up being washed away.
“Lucky man but good community spirit in assisting this driver to get back on his merry way.”
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