ORGANISERS of a street fair have apologised after coastguards who had just saved an elderly woman's life came in for verbal abuse.

Watchet Coastguards were returning to base after rescuing the woman during a medical emergency on Dunster beach when they were verbally attacked by a member of the community at Watchet Street Fair.

She sustained a serious hip injury following a fall and had to be stretchered off the beach immediately due to the fast flooding tide.

Following the incident on Sunday afternoon, a coastguard spokesman said: "On the return of some of the team back to our station at Watchet on the Esplanade it was disappointing that a member of the local community decided to give them verbal abuse, challenging the valuable work that volunteers within the Coastguard service undertake."

Street fair organiser Mary Quint said: "I am so very sorry about the incident on Sunday afternoon and as chairman of Watchet Street Fair I apologised to the Coastguards at the time and hope that they knew how I felt about the incident which should never have happened.

"Street Fair always acknowledges that the Coastguards have absolute priority over the Esplanade at all times and we have always assisted them in any way to ensure a clear run for them.

"May I sincerely apologise again and hope we can continue to work alongside each other in the future on Street Fair days."

"On the return of some of the team back to our station at Watchet on the Esplanade it was disappointing that a member of the local community decided to give them verbal abuse, challenging the valuable work that volunteers within the Coastguard service undertake."