Beached birds prompt rescue alert

The rescue hovercraft was sent out to search the Brean coast

A flock of birds sparked a major rescue incident after being mistaken for holidaymakers stranded in mud.

A beach warden raised the alarm when he saw what he believed to be a group of people in difficulty two miles off the Brean coast in Somerset.

A rescue hovercraft was sent out, but when the team arrived, it was apparent the "people" were in fact birds.

Alan Miller, chairman of the Burnham Area Rescue Boat (BARB), said the warden did the right thing.

"We'd much prefer to be called out for a false alarm rather than not be alerted and have to pull casualties out of the mud later," he said.

"We'd always recommend dialling 999 if you have any suspicion that people could be in trouble."