Person 250m out to sea rescued by lifeboat crew

A person "in distress" about 820ft (250m) from the shore has been rescued from the sea by a lifeboat crew.

RNLI Blackpool said it received a report of concern for a person's safety in the water opposite the Viking Hotel on South Promenade, Blackpool, shortly after 05:30 BST.

The lifeboat charity said it was the fifth call out this week but the "most serious".

The volunteer crews gave the casualty immediate care before handing them to the care of the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) when they returned to shore.

The RNLI said it had a report of a second person possibly in the sea in a similar location and a second lifeboat was launched.

But the alert was a false alarm.

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