A large number of spectators watched a drama unfolding on Tenby's North Beach on Monday afternoon.

An electrical fault on an excavator, working on the project to convert the old lifeboat station into a a four-bedroomed home, caused a system shut-down on the vehicle.

Despite recovery efforts, it succumbed to the tide, which just so happened to be one of the highest of the year.

All oils were drained off the vehicle to ensure no environmental 'incident'.

The excavator was successfully removed on Tuesday.

FOOTNOTE: We were inundated with pictures of the incident from readers. We are sorry, we cannot use them all, but many thanks to those who contacted us.