A driver was left red-faced and with a hefty repair bill after their car was swallowed up by the rising tide at a Sheppey beach this morning.

Whitstable RNLI, the Sheppey coastguard and Kent Police attended Leysdown Beach at around 7.45am to find the vehicle, which appears to be a 4x4, almost completely submerged.

Isabella Grimandi, who was walking along the shore when it happened, said: "When I first saw it, the car was parked very near the water's edge - I was thinking the driver must be crazy.

"There was no driver around, just holiday makers taking pictures of it.

"It's very strange that you would drive a car so far out on the mud flat because even people walking too far there get stuck."

A police spokesman confirmed the vehicle still has not been recovered.

She added: "Enquiries are ongoing to locate the owner."