Yahoo Finance Couple trigger air rescue after travelling 150 miles from London for beach walk
A couple was fined for breaching COVID rules after triggering a rescue operation amid storms at a Norfolk beach.
The coastguard raised the alarm about a woman after she was seen parking her car by the shore at Winterton but failed to return after four hours.
Fearing the worst, three coastguard teams, a search and rescue helicopter and a lifeboat team launched an "extensive search" during the poor weather.
Norfolk Police were also called in, and after searching with the teams and volunteers they found the woman and her partner safe and well.
Officers found they had travelled from London earlier on 6 February and both were given a fixed penalty notice for breaking lockdown rules.
Fines for first-time COVID offences start at £200.
Paul Garrod, chairman of the independent Caister Lifeboat, said the group sent six crew members after being called in.
"Once we got to Winterton, we had to start a shoreline search. There were 20ft rolling waves," he told The Sun.
"It's the worst I've seen in 20-odd years, because we were so close into shore. It was horrendous."
HM Coastguard Winterton said: "With the bad weather forecast over the next few days we ask you all to take extreme care when visiting the coast.
"Remember the wind chill factor is many degrees less than the temperature, winds and waves may cause damage to coastlines."
It comes as two people had to be rescued by fire crews after getting stuck on cliffs.
They were finded for non-essential travel after being helped down from Cheddar Gorge in Somerset on Sunday.
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