A Cornish beauty spot found itself at the centre of a dramatic attempted rescue mission on Sunday afternoon after an ice cream van was swept out to sea.

The Kelly Whip ice cream van was battered by waves after being dragged out into the water at the picturesque Harlyn Bay Beach, north of Newquay in Cornwall.

Onlookers told MailOnline how the van got stuck in the sand at the western end of the beach just after 4pm as the tide began to turn. 

A nearby 4×4 tried to pull the van free using a winch, with the help of dozens of beachgoers who rushed into the water in a desperate bid to help.

The brave group of individuals were seen attempting to tow the van out of the water as holidaymakers watched on in the background.

They managed to pull the van a slightly up the beach before it got stuck on the rocks and ultimately had to abandoned.

A surfer goes about business as usual as an abandoned ice cream van is battered by waves

Beachgoers attempted to rescue the Kelly Whip ice cream van from the water 

They tried to tow the vehicle out of the water but eventually the van had to be abandoned

The Kelly Whip van was seen floating in the water as waves dramatically crashed into it

It’s understood that the ice cream van driver eventually had to abandon his vehicle

Beachgoers watched on as the high tide swept the ice cream van away 

Dozens of rescuers attempted to save the ice cream van, which was flooded inside

Other footage shows the ice cream van being tossed around the bay, with huge waves flooding the inside. 

Photos show surfers going about business as usual, taking advantage of the big waves that were crashing into the stranded van. 

A local who witnessed the drama unfold told MailOnline: ‘At just after 4pm on Sunday 7th July the Kelly’s ice-cream van got stuck in the sand at the western end of the beach as the tide began to turn.

‘A 4×4 that had a winch that was close by tried really hard to pull it free with the help of lots of surfers and other people that were on the beach. 

‘They managed to pull it a fair way up the beach while still surrounded by the in coming waves, before it got stuck on rocks. 

‘The tide was coming in very quickly and they were forced to abandon the ice-cream van. 

‘Shortly afterwards the coast guards arrived. They will keep watch over ice-cream van until the tide goes out and a local salvage team that are on standby can remove the ice-cream van from the beach.’

DevonLive reports that the driver eventually left after watching the van get swept out to sea.

Members of the public watch on as the ice cream van is buffeted by the waves

Harlyn Bay Beach is considered one of the best family beaches in Cornwall thanks to its golden sand and close proximity to Padstow

Footage shows beachgoers attempting to tow the van (left) and coastguard rescuers (right)

Harlyn Bay Beach is considered one of the best family beaches in Cornwall thanks to its golden sand and close proximity to Padstow.

The beach was packed on Sunday despite most of the UK suffering a weekend washout.

Britons were caught in huge downpours across Saturday and Sunday, with localised flooding in some areas.

Tennis, F1 and rowing fans descending on Wimbledon, Silverstone and Henley, were also caught up in the thunder and rain this weekend.