Sizzling weekend keeps rescuers hard at work

As thousands of holidaymakers and locals alike took to the beaches and river banks around South East Cornwall over a sizzling weekend, many of the area's emergency and rescue services were at full stretch as people took to the beaches.

Freathy Beach at Whitsand Bay was the scene of the largest rescue over the weekend, when 30 people became cut off by the tide at about 3pm on Sunday afternoon, and a further 16 had to be treated by members of the Life Saving Club after they had been stung by weaver fish.

The Whitsand Bay Lifesurfing Club co-ordinator Bill Faraday said Rhona Atwill and Samantha Harris went around the packed beach on Caradon Lifeguards' Inshore Rescue Boat earlier in the day to warn people about the incoming tide, and on a later trip they discovered many had not heeded the warning and had been left stranded. Tamar Coastguard were also called in to help rescue the people along with the Caradon and Whitsand Bay lifeguards. They were all eventually ferried to safety.

However, two young boys had already decided to try and scramble to safety up the cliff face, and were in a very dangerous position. Rhona Atwill swam to the cliff and managed to talk them down to safety, before they were also ferried around to another beach.

The River Tamar was also not without incidents. The Tamar Coastguard patrol boat along with the coastguard and MOD police launch investigated a report of 4 children, one as young as 5, in an unseaworthy rowing boat on the river. The children were towed ashore and given a talk on safety. A Cornish lugger, fresh from the Lugger Racing Festival at Looe ran aground at Weir Quay, near Cargreen, the 3 persons on board being assisted ashore by a water bailiff.

The Tamar Coastguard also assisted an unconscious lady at Sandway Beach, Cawsand, towed the dory Hunky Dory with 7 persons on board to Cremyll, after engine failure, and

towed a speedboat with 2 on board into Plymouth, after engine failure off Rame Head

Fowey Lifeboat also had a busy time. Together with a rescue helicopter from RNAS Culdrose and St Austell Coastguard, it went to the rescue of 3 children in a toy dinghy adrift from Par Sands. However, they were located at Polkerris after being picked up by a passing speedboat.

The lifeboat also assisted in the rescue of a female from the sea, and in the search for her boyfriend reported missing. He was later located ashore and both casualties were airlifted to Treliske.