AN ELDERLY couple have become the latest motorists to spark a rescue operation attempting to cross a Northumberland causeway while it was under water.
The man and woman, in their early 70s, tried to drive across Holy Island causeway around two hours outside safe crossing times on Wednesday.
The couple, who do not live on the island, had to be rescued by coastguards from the village while an RAF search and rescue helicopter also had to attend the scene.
Their car was badly damaged in the incident, the 18th coastguards from Holy Island and Seahouses have attended this year – “far and above” the seasonal norm.
It came just over two weeks after a public meeting was held on the island to discuss ways to stop motorists getting caught out.
Northumberland coastguard sector manager Paul Duffy said: “What else can we say that the emergency services did not say on the day?
“We like to think that these rescues are largely avoidable, people are just finding themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time, and until such time as any measures are taken by the council, we just ask people to avail themselves of what is there at the moment: the signs and the tide tables.
“Eighteen incidents is far and above what we seasonally have and we are still only in September.
“We sort of expected it to be an interesting year; we had six in February, we thought it might be a busy year and it seems our concerns were justified.”
The couple tried to cross the causeway from the Holy Island side at around 11.10am on Wednesday. The last safe crossing time had been 9.55am and the causeway was to re-open at 1.55pm.
The couple later told coastguards they had mistakenly believed the causeway was open between those times.
Their black Ford Escort broke down in the water around 200m from the end of the island side of the causeway, and would not restart.
They contacted the emergency services reporting that water was seeping in the bottom of the car’s doors, with the sea level said to be covering half its wheels.
The island and Seahouses coastguards were alerted, as was the crew of a Sea King helicopter from RAF Boulmer. Northumbria Police and Seahouses RNLI were also informed.
The island coastguards rescued the couple at 11.30am using a service vehicle, while the helicopter hovered overhead, taking them back to the island.
While the rescue was taking place, a male motorist began crossing the causeway, despite the coastguard vehicle having its blue flashing lights on, and was stopped by the Sea King.
The couple’s car was pushed to the side of the road and later removed from the causeway by a recovery team.
Northumberland County Council is proposing to form a working group to look at measures to stop motorists getting stuck on the causeway.
A report to a meeting of its North area committee at Alnwick on Monday says that the group will be made up of officers and councillors, and meet until the end of the current financial year.
It will invite officers, residents and representatives of organisations to assist where necessary. The group will report back to the committee regularly.
Holy Island residents have already presented a petition to the county council expressing their opposition to barriers on the causeway.
