Beaminster tunnel landslip deaths: police force refers itself to IPCC Beaminster tunnel landslip: the IPCC is to look into how the police handled the tragedy in which two people died. A police force that failed to find a couple whose car had been entombed in a landslip for nine days has referred the matter to the complaints watchdog. The man and woman died after mud, rubble and vegetation crushed their car near the Beaminster tunnel in Dorset during torrential rain. Their silver Skoda lay undiscovered for nine days under hundreds of tonnes of debris at the entrance to the tunnel. Police have said there was no sign of the car when they examined the scene soon after the landslip happened and explained that they were under huge pressure to deal with many hundreds of incidents caused by the bad weather. But the Independent Police Complaints Commission said on Wednesday that the force was sending details of the tragedy to it for it to consider. The IPCC said: "Dorset police will be referring the Beaminster tunnel landslip deaths. This will be assessed and a decision made about the mode of investigation. Meanwhile it emerged that the couple had cut short a restaurant meal and were hurrying home because they were concerned about the weather. Neither has been formally identified by police but they have been named locally as Rosemary Snell, 67, who had recently moved from London to a country cottage, and retired surgeon Michael Rolfe, 72. On the evening of the landslip on 7 July, the couple, both from Somerset, were dining at the Bridge House Hotel in Beaminster. The pair used to visit the hotel three or four times a year and had previously celebrated Valentine's Day there. Fox said shortly after the couple left the restaurant, kitchen and reception staff left work but by that time the landslip had occurred and they were forced to turn back on the road, unaware that Snell and Rolfe had been caught in the mud and rubble. Louise Brister, who cleaned Rolfe's house, said: "He was such a nice, caring guy. He was always laughing, so bright and cheerful, and had only recently met Rosemary Snell. He loved his bridge and was keen on cricket. I'm in shock and can't believe it. Police became concerned for the couple when Rolfe's family raised the alarm. Detectives used phone and bank card records to narrow their movements down to the area around the landslip. Emergency workers found the mud-filled car on Monday evening. Nobody from Dorset police was available to comment on the referral to the IPCC.