A PENSIONER escaped with only a broken foot after her mobility scooter plunged off a cliff path, throwing her 40 feet onto the beach below.

The unnamed woman was lucky not to be more seriously hurt, largely because a tree branch stopped the scooter tumbling down the cliff and landing on top of her.

The woman's upturned scooter was found by two walkers soon after the accident at Culvercliffe, Minehead, at 3.20pm last Wednesday.

Emergency crews were quickly on the scene and local coastguards helped search for the scooter's missing occupant.

She was located by members of the Minehead Coastguard team, who helped to stabilise her until the Devon Air Ambulance arrived and airlifted her to Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton.

A coastguard spokesman said the pensioner had come from a local residential home and warned others not to be tempted to use mobility scooters on cliff paths.

He said she had driven the scooter onto a footpath leading from North Hill but then lost control of it, skidding over the edge and falling 40 feet onto the beach below.

"Luckily for this lady she was soon located by two walkers, but otherwise she may not have been found for many hours due to the remote location and position she found herself in.

"The cliff path is certainly unsuitable for mobility scooters and anyone using the paths is warned to take care," the spokesman said.

l Visitors and residents alike are being urged to check high tide times after a family of four had to be winched to safety after being cut off by the sea.

The group, which included a three-year-old and an eight-year-old, had gone for a walk along the beach from Warren Bay on Saturday and were between Watchet and Blue Anchor when they realised they were in trouble.

The family used rubble from a recent landslide to scramble clear of the tide, but were unable to get any further up the cliff.

Fearing for their safety, they used a mobile telephone to call the emergency services.

A coastguard spokesman said: "While safe from the water, the situation was scary for the family and so the coastguard teams from Watchet and Minehead began searching for their exact location on the cliff and in the dense vegetation.

"Another team member talked to the father of the family on a mobile telephone to narrow down their exact location and to help guide in an RAF Sea King rescue helicopter from RAF Chivenor," he said.

The helicopter winched the family on board before landing at nearby Warren Farm on the outskirts of Watchet.

The spokesman said the group was extremely grateful to all of the emergency services for their help and said the incident highlighted the importance of knowing the high and low tide times.

"Coastguards would like to remind anyone venturing onto the beaches to check tide times and, if unsure of where it is safe to walk, to check with someone who does first," he said.