Saltburn: Girls on bodyboards rescued from being swept to sea

Three girls were saved from being swept out to sea on their bodyboards by an RNLI lifeguard, the charity has said.

The girls aged between six and 10 were spotted drifting outside the flagged zone at Saltburn beach.

One was able to get to shore but lifeguard Harvey Deluce went to the aid of the others, one of whom was starting to panic and "fighting to keep her head above water".

The RNLI urged people to swim at flagged beaches.

Mr Deluce said he spotted the girls shortly before midday on Saturday outside the area marked by red and yellow flags.

He tried to call them back into zone but saw they were struggling to paddle.

They were initially about 300ft (100m) off the shore near Saltburn pier, Mr Deluce said, but had been carried out a further 150ft (50m) by the time got to them on his rescue board.

"One of them managed to direct herself on to a sand bank and get safely back to shore, however, the other two young girls were unable to make any progress," he said, adding: "The youngest of the casualties started to panic and was fighting to keep her head above water."

All three were found to be in good health and given safety advice, the RNLI said.

"We always recommend that members of the public swim at a lifeguarded beach between the red and yellow flags," Mr Deluce said, adding offshore winds could be "unpredictable".

The rescue came several days after Saltburn lifeguards helped two people who suffered severe allergic reactions to weever fish stings.

Andrew Jamieson, RNLI lead lifeguard supervisor, said: "Weever fish stings are relatively common especially at low tide once the water has warmed up a bit around July and August time.

"They occur in spates and if stung, it almost feels like being stung by a wasp.

"The best advice if you think you might have been stung by a weever fish is to go see the lifeguards for treatment.

"They will immerse the affected area in hot water to draw out the venom and prevent any further reactions to the sting."

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