Video: Coastguard issues warning as selfie-taking tourist swept off feet by Storm Ciarán
An ‘idiot’ tourist taking a selfie on a pier has been knocked over by waves, as Storm Ciarán lashes the southeast coast of the UK.
HM Coastguard has issued a safety warning, insisting no photo is worth dying for, after a number of people were filmed walking along Whitby’s East Pier in dangerous conditions.
One video, shared on social media, captured the moment a woman was swept off her feet by a wave as she walked along the pier — with one person behind the camera branding her an ‘idiot’. The drenched woman quickly gets up and walks back to safety.
The pier has since been closed following several incidents, some involving children.
In a statement, Steve Hart, senior coastal operations officer for HM Coastguard, said: “Our advice is if there is a storm weather warning in place and if you don’t need to travel, just stay in.
“It’s not worth risking your life for a picture or a selfie and it’s not worth risking our volunteers lives either, who would potentially have to go out on a rescue and pull you out of the water.”
He added: “The weather is going to be bad over the next couple of days. If there’s no need to travel or to go near the coast, just stay in. Keep away from the water’s edge and keep away from any flood water. It only takes 12 inches to float a car, and to float yourself away.”
— The Whitby Photographer (@WhitbyPhotos) October 31, 2023
The storm continues to cause severe disruption and flooding across the country. Hundreds of schools have been shut, roads closed, flights and bus and rail routes disrupted with ‘danger to life’ amber warnings in place for wind across southern England.
The Broads Authority in Norfolk has warned boaters’ lives could be at risk if they try to navigate the waters during the storm.
The storm cut off the island of Portland in Dorset on the south coast, which is connected to the mainland by a narrow causeway. The flooding caused the island’s flood siren alert to be activated for only the second time in nine years.
Meanwhile, one video shared on the Jersey Weather Chat Facebook group shows a ‘mad’ man in swimming trunks hollering in delight as dangerously large waves crash over him.
Storm Ciarán has also been causing destruction in northern France, which experienced record winds of up to 200km/h (124mph). More than 1.2 million people lost electricity and tens of thousands lost their phone signal.
