COASTGUARDS were alerted after concerns were raised about people stuggling to retrieve a large piece of timber from the sea.

A spokesman for Wyke Coastguard said: "The team was paged at 10:30am yesterday to reports of a large piece of timber that had washed up at Bowleaze Cove.

"Concerns were raised as members of the public were reportedly trying to retrieve the article from the waterline.

"Team members attended the location and found the timber on the beach, although there were no signs of persons attempting to move the article.

"The wood was approximately four metres long and incredibly heavy, making immediate retrieval impossible.

"The findings were reported to the NMOC and details were passed to local authorities to make arrangements for removal."