Foragers rescued from island over fears they had eaten poisonous plant
A pair of foragers had to be rescued by lifeboats from an island as they thought they had eaten poisonous hemlock.
Lifeboats were called after the 'experienced' foragers feared they had ingested the toxic plant.
They were found in the eastern beach of Sully Island, off South Wales, 'showing signs of anxiety'.
The pair were taken by boat to the mainland where coastguards found they had high pulse rates and were treated with oxygen.
They were taken to hospital for checks and later given the all clear.
Bill Kitchen, Lifeboat Operations Manager at Barry Dock RNLI, said: 'We've since been in touch and are very relieved to hear that both have made a full recovery.
'They absolutely made the right call in seeking help – in situations like this it's crucial that medical attention is sought without delay. We're very glad this had a positive outcome.'
'Notoriously poisonous plant'
The Wildlife Trust describes hemlock as 'a notoriously poisonous plant' which has 'umbrella-like clusters of white flowers in summer'.
The plant contains toxins that attack a person's nervous system and can be fatal. According to the trust it 'can be found in damp places, such as ditches, riverbanks and waste ground.'
Sully Island is an uninhabited small island that can be accessed by foot at low tide from the village of Sully in the Vale of Glamorgan.
It is 400 metres off the mainland and each year a number of visitors are rescued by lifeboats having misread the tide and become stranded.
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