A DRUNK man had a lucky escape after he passed out in a bramble bush and avoided a 'catastrophic' fall off Brean Down. 

On Sunday (June 10) Burnham-on-Sea Coastguard were called at 12.16pm after reports a man had passed out in a bramble bush and would not wake up. 

The man had tried to follow the lights that were on the beach after a heavy night of drinking which led him to almost falling off the Down. 

A group of walkers found the semi-conscious man and tried to walk him back to safety but he was still feeling the effects of the night before and was unable to travel far. 

Coastguard volunteers took the man down to the bottom of the Down and contacted the holiday park where he was staying. 

The man then caught up with some of the group he was travelling with and returned to his accommodation. 

The Coastguard is now urging residents to take care when walking on the beach. 

 "In some of the hottest weather we have experienced this year, Brean Down is not somewhere you want to wake up after a heavy night," a Coastguard spokesman said. 

"This was a lucky escape for the person in question as they were attempting to follow the lights that were on the beach which led them to almost falling off of the edge of the Down.

"This could have resulted in a catastrophic fall, a bramble bush in this instance was the best outcome.

"This was a vulnerable person who found himself in a very dangerous situation.

"After reading the above it can be easy to assume that this was just someone overdoing the weekend session, but not every incident is as black and white as it seems.

"There can be many reasons why people end up in incidents such as this, we never judge people or make an assumption of why they are in their predicament, we are here to help those when help is needed.

"Sometimes in life we all need that helping hand."

If you see anyone in difficulty along the coast call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.