Why is it so bad to seek advice from Brancaster shipwreck?

Brancaster is known for its seemingly endless stretch of sand, the North Sea a faint glimmer on the horizon at low tide. It draws thousands of visitors in the summer months.

The National Trust, which owns the land, has signs at the car park and at all access points to Brancaster beach to warn of the dangers of the tides and going near the wreck.

At low tide, however, there is nothing preventing anyone walking over to the heavily corroded, sea-worn hulks of metal that once formed the SS Vina – despite it being extremely perilous to do so.

As the tide turns, the wreck site floods at a rapid rate, cutting off the means of escape.

Dr Bennett said the shifting sands, tides, currents and channels were “at all times at the transfer” and approaching the wreck was “extremely bad”.

The deceptive beauty of the coastline possibly put holidaymakers, without that local knowledge, at greater risk, he said.

“If you might be on coast, you need to watch out and know what you are promoting, your tides – the water is available in in no time,” he stated.

“It isn’t static, and you might be simply no longer going to out-pace that incoming tide.”

Last summer, 74-year-old Raymond Mills was taking a closer look at the wreck when the tide came in. He went under the water and drowned.

The BBC approached the HM Coastguard and RNLI for a comment.

Both said information on call-outs to SS Vina was not readily available but urged anyone visiting any tidal area to check tide times.

“I don’t believe folks realise how fast the tide is available in; folks don’t seem to be acutely aware of it,” said a man from Brancaster, who did not want to be named.

“It’s been there because the Second World War and it is been happening [people visiting the wreck] all my existence.

“It’s not uncommon. I think all locals would say the same.”

Another resident, who additionally sought after to stay nameless, stated she used to be cautious of drawing consideration to the SS Vina.

“There are warning signs in the area,” she stated.

“One year the wreck is exposed, and the next it is covered in sand and you can’t really put a [warning] sign on the wreck.”

Aerial photographer John Fielding frequently flies over Brancaster. He stated it gave him a secure view of the destroy and an actual sense of the inherent dangers.

“When I first heard there was a shipwreck at Scolt Head Island, I thought it was like something out of Robinson Crusoe,” he stated.

“From the air, you can see how dangerous it is to approach on foot.

“I’ve photographed folks there. They assume they’ll get again [to the beach] however you’ll be able to see how the tide comes and cuts them off; the ocean is available in at the back of them.”

Norfolk senior coroner Samantha Goward, who investigated the circumstances of Mr Mills’s death, wants the wreck’s owner to look at safety and management, to help prevent future tragedies.

The problem is, it is unclear who is responsible.

During World War Two, the wreck was owned and managed by the Ministry of War Transport, which no longer exists, but what happened next is a mystery.

The Department for Transport is making inquiries and is due to respond to the coroner.

Dr Bennett thinks the curious will continue to be drawn to SS Vina; its removal is almost certainly too difficult and expensive to be a serious consideration.

“There is an pastime within the Second World War, the function of the Brancaster property in D-Day, and folks wish to interact with it,” he added.

“For some, it is a waymarker at the seaside – ‘Let’s stroll to that destroy, then head again once more.’

“I don’t know why you would want to do that; nothing is worth the risk.

“People who weblog about it and tweet about it want to make it transparent that it is a bad a part of the arena and [it is] a surprisingly bad factor to do.”

In a statement, the National Trust said it “persisted to paintings with our spouse organisations to regulate customer protection at Brancaster seaside”.

It added: “We wish to take this chance to remind all the ones visiting the coast to pay attention to the facility of the water and that tides can briefly exchange, and to learn protection signage, which is provide in any respect get entry to issues to the seaside.”