Lifeboat volunteers were called to assist in the search for a missing 81-year-old man in Brean on Monday.

The volunteers from RNLI at Burnham-on-Sea joined the local search and rescue teams in the search which started at 11.47pm.

The search team gathered in Brean where they received initial information from the Coastguards.

They were aided by a hovercraft which was launched from the beach to perform a night search for the missing man, covering the mudflats exposed by the receding tide.

Several volunteers carried out torch-lit foot searches of the area alongside colleagues from Burnham Coastguard Rescue Team, Weston-Super-Mare Coastguard Rescue Team and Avon and Somerset Police.

A full search was undertaken of the beach, dunes and Brean Down for several hours until the teams were stood down around 4am.

News was later received that the man had been safely found in Brean.

In light of this event, the RLNI has provided the following safety tips when venturing out into the water:

  • Never swim alone
  • Always check tide times in advance
  • Never swim within one hour of eating
  • Only use inflatables very close to the shore and at high tide when there is no wind

The services advise to always call 999 and ask for the Coastguard in any emergency.