Lessons to be learned from Lily's ledge

It was a heart-warming story which grabbed the attention of animal lovers around the world.

Lily the dog was rescued by volunteers after a night stuck on a ledge on Jersey's north coast.

But emergency services are now using the incident as a chance to give some words of caution about the perils of the coastline.

A spokesperson for Jersey Coastguard said: "Our advice for those exploring the island’s coastline is to stay away from cliff edges and use well marked paths."

The coastguard also advised people not to take any unnecessary risks when on the coast and "stop and think" before putting themselves in danger to help others.

"If any person or animal falls into danger, bystanders should call 999 and stay nearby to help rescuers locate them," they said.

The coastguard's warning has been echoed by the fire service.

Watch Commander John Le Cornu, who is also the technical lead for the rope rescue department, said that while Lily's rescue had a positive outcome and a safe conclusion it could have ended differently.

"What we certainly wouldn't want to do is encourage anybody else to do the same as there are so many variables that could have affected the outcome," he said.

Mr le Cornu maintains that the fire service is there to provide professional help, and they are the experts.

He said: “If the animal or an individual is in a precarious position, then please call 999.

"And please stay in a safe location where we can find you easily and relay all the information that you have, including drone footage. If it's available to the responding team, it'll be a massive help in helping us to resolve it.”

Mr le Cornu is a dog owner himself and thinks one important lesson to learn is awareness of where you are on the coastline in order to avoid dangerous situations.

“I walk the headlands probably as much as anybody else. And what I would encourage anybody to do is, please, if you're in proximity to a large, drop a cliff or you're in any of those areas, please keep your dog on a lead.

“I think what's important to realize is that people's perception of risk varies from individual to individual. There was definitely a risk present.

"There was a quite considerable fall that could have taken place. Thankfully, that wasn't the case in this instance.”

Gail Bennie, who rescued Lily, agreed Mr Le Cornu's advice made good sense.

She said: “I think it's really good to highlight the awareness; the risk of walking dogs in areas where there are cliffs or steep drops or anything similar, especially dogs with high prey drive that are going to be chasing rabbits or birds and the wildlife knows how to escape the predator.”

"I think it's very sensible to issue advice to people not to put themselves in danger.

"If I had I felt that I was at risk, I would have told them, and I always will do in future if I feel I can't access that area safely.”