Visitors stranded on Norfolk's Scolt Head Island rescued

Scolt Head Island is made up of sand dunes and mud flats

A stranded group of 18 beachgoers had to be rescued after being cut off on an island by fast-moving tides.

Hunstanton Coastguard said the 14 adults and four children were trapped on Scolt Head Island, off Brancaster in Norfolk, on bank holiday Monday.

The group, including five dogs, was brought back to shore by Hunstanton RNLI at about 17:15 BST.

"People don't understand how fast the tide travels," said Tony Garbutt, from HM Coastguard.

"It comes in faster that you can run and it will knock you off your feet.

"The coast is a dynamic environment and conditions will change according to the weather and tides."

Brancaster beach is prone to fast tides engulfing the sand flats

Mr Garbutt said despite the number of signs and warnings in place around Brancaster, some people still seemed keen to walk out to the island at low tide often to see the SS Vina shipwreck.

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"There is not a lot to see - they would probably see more at their local scrapyard," he said.

"Tide times are published, but people don't seem to understand that is at the top of the tide - two hours before that you can be cut off."

Mr Garbutt said the number of visitors to beaches had increased over the weekend after the easing of lockdown restrictions, but island rescues were a "problem each year".

On Wednesday, a family of three also had to be saved after becoming cut off by the incoming tide at the same spot.