- Tourist knocked over on Whitby East Pier during heavy waves
That’s when a ‘silly’ tourist taking a selfie atop a stone pier was swept away by a colossal wave that crashed over the wall – as the coastguard issued a warning that no photo was worth dying for during Storm Ciarán.
The warning was issued after a number of people armed with mobile phones to take selfies were seen walking along the East Pier in Whitby, North Yorkshire.
A video shared on social media captured the moment a woman, described as an “idiot” behind the camera, was swept away by a treacherous wave on Sunday.
In the sequence, she is knocked to the ground by the power of the wave and gets back up just in time to avoid being swept into the cauldron-like sea.
Seconds later, she begins walking along the pier to safety, drenched from head to toe.
This is the moment a “silly” tourist taking a selfie atop a stone pier was swept away by a colossal wave which crashed over the wall of the East Pier in Whitby, North Yorkshire, on Tuesday.
Steve Hart, HM Coastguard’s senior operations officer, said: “Our advice is: if there is a storm warning, if you don’t need to travel, just stay indoors. »
“It’s not worth risking your life for a photo or a selfie, and it’s also not worth risking the lives of our volunteers, who would potentially have to come to your aid and pull you out of the water.”
“The weather is going to be bad in the next few days.
“If it is not necessary to travel or go near the coast, stay at home.
“Keep away from water’s edge and away from flood waters.
“It only takes 12 inches to make a car float and take flight.”
On Tuesday, the east pier was closed following several incidents involving the public, including children.
Another video shared on X, formerly Twitter, by The Whitby Photographer, shows the woman walking on the pier and being knocked down twice.
Several people, including young children, are also seen walking along the pier before the coastguard intervened to save them from dangerous waves on Sunday.
Another video shared on
Responding to a commenter who said it would be “exciting” to be so close to the waves, the photographer said: “There are times when you can (look at the waves), with relatively little risk.
“Sunday was not that day, the girl was knocked down twice and landed inches from the edge of the wall, while just 10 miles away two people were swept off Staithes Pier into the Wed. I imagine it wasn’t “exciting” for any of the parties involved who initially thought it would be “exciting”.
With Storm Ciaran expected to bring further severe weather, people are being warned to stay away from the water’s edge.
In South Tyneside, people are also being warned to stay away from the edge of a section of Marsden Bay cliffs after heavy rain caused parts of the rock face to collapse.
