Driver rescued after van plunges into sea off Fowey slipway

A driver was rescued after a van plunged into the sea off a slipway in Cornwall.

St Austell Coastguard Rescue Team were called to Bodinnick Ferry Slip in Fowey just after midday on Monday 24 June.

The driver managed to escape the vehicle before it became fully submerged. They were then treated by the South Western Ambulance Service.

'An unusual incident', says Fowey's harbourmaster

Paul Thomas, who is Fowey's harbourmaster, told ITV News West Country: "We were alerted when we had a report of a van entering the water near the Bodinnick Ferry.

"Clearly that's a very serious incident, so we mobilised very quickly.

"We actually had one of our patrol boats on the water and he was able to respond very quickly, got to the scene and managed to recover the driver of a van who had sunk in his van and managed to escape.

"The van sunk in about eight metres of water. Once we knew the man was safe and no-one else was involved, our thoughts then turned to making sure there was no pollution risk to the harbour and recover the van which could be a risk to navigation."

Mr Thomas continued: "We're blessed in Fowey having a resident diving team training around the corner. So they were able to respond immediately, within 10 minutes.

"We had a diver go down to inspect the vehicle and found the van was on the seabed. We brought another van in with a big crane and that can lift it back up to the surface.

"It was moved towards the slipway where a recovery vehicle was there, a bit like if you broke down on the side of the road.

"This is an unusual incident. This is my third vehicle in my 12 years of being a harbourmaster.

"The hill down from the village is steep. Highways may well look at it, but I think it's difficult in Cornwall when you have steep hills naturally coming down to an edge."

A spokesperson for St Austell Coastguard said: "We would like to thank all parties who assisted in this incident and we wish the occupant a full and speedy recovery."

People are also reminded to call 999 and ask for the coastguard if ever they are in difficulty.