WITH more stormy weather on the way, a grim warning has gone out about the increasing risk of holidaymakers getting stuck in quicksand on Britain's holiday beaches.
It's feared shifting tide patterns stirred up by the tempests are forming lethal traps on sandy beaches where families will be flocking this Easter – weather and coronavirus permitting.
Stephen Callaghan, of Newquay, Cornwall, is recovering today after a narrow escape when he got sucked down while running on nearby Porth beach. Stephen was stuck up to his waist and sinking fast when he was rescued, he couldn't move his legs at first but luckily managed to get himself free.
He said it was at the far end of the beach where work is being carried out but all the safety fencing has been washed away by the storms.
He fears others may get caught out too and is urging people to know the danger, adding that the storms may have formed new, hidden quicksands that nobody is aware of.
He said: "I was running on Porth beach at the far side and got stuck up to my waist in quicksand. I couldn't get my legs out.
"I fear a dog will go in and get stuck and then the owner will go in after it. An elderly person wouldn't be able to get out and there are lots of people on the beach now."
The concern is that rip tides and coastal streams caused by Storms Ciara, Dennis and Jorge have created liquefied patches of sand, turning them into deathtraps.
Last month a mum and her young daughter had to be rescued when they became trapped in Minehead, Somerset.
The mum had been out walking her dog when she got stuck waist deep in the muddy sand with her five-year-old in her arms before she was helicoptered to freedom.
A spokesperson for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency told Sun Online Travel:" Regarding quicksand, adverse weather conditions can increase the risks of quicksand, particularly on flat areas of sand where gullies are created by an overland flow of water.
"In some of these areas water can flow underneath the surface.
"HM Coastguard advice is to avoid walking on areas of sand/land which are soft – and seek local knowledge, such as tide times and weather, when visiting the UK’s coast."
According to the Coastguard Agency, quicksand is not obvious to the eye and there is generally little or no warning of the transition from firm sand to quicksand.
QUICKSAND FACTS
Quicksand has four key ingredients – sand, water, clay and salt. Together these form a structure like a 'house of cards', with large water-filled gaps between the sand particles, which are loosely glued in place by the clay.
As long as it is left alone, the structure remains stable, but as soon as it is disturbed by stepping on it, the clay changes from a jelly-like consistency to a runny liquid – the effect is the same as stirring a pot of yoghurt.
Liquefying the clay makes the quicksand about one million times runnier, and the whole 'house of cards' comes tumbling down, with the person trapped inside it.
Very quickly, the sand sinks to the bottom with the clay and the water floats to the top. The result is a very stodgy later of sand and clay, which is twice as dense as the original quicksand and packed tightly around the trapped body parts.
The best way to release the person is to re-build the 'houses of cards' around the trapped body parts.
This is done by re-introducing water between the sand and clay particles with the mud lance, reducing the density and making it easier to extract the trapped body parts.
The spokesperson said: "Pockets of quicksand are always on the move and will be in different positions with every successive tide.
"People can find themselves in soft ground either when the surface is so soft that they simply sink to a point where movement becomes impossible, or they break through a layer of relatively firm mud into a soft bubble.
"Invariably, with quicksand there is generally little or no warning of transition from firm sand to quicksand.
"If you become stuck in quicksand our advice is always the same ‘Stay calm, try and spread your weight as much as possible and avoid moving. Call 999 and ask for the Coastguard’."
In 2018, tourists were asked to stay away from one of Britain's best beaches as it struggled to cope with visitor numbers during the heatwave.
Barafundle Bay in Pembrokeshire saw an influx of visitors this summer even though there's a mile walk on foot to reach it.
Thanks to its inclusion on many best beaches lists, visitor numbers to Barafundle increased by more than 30,000 to 120,000 in just three years.
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