RNLI Hunstanton called to rescue six people at two beaches
Six people have been rescued during two incidents on the same afternoon. RNLI Hunstanton was alerted at about 17:00 BST on Saturday to reports of three young women cut off by the tide on a sandbank off the Norfolk town. Then just 45 minutes later the crew went out to a man, woman and a child cut off by the tide at Scolt Head, near Brancaster. A spokesperson for RNLI Hunstanton said all six people were taken "safely ashore".
The rescues came after a boy was saved on a live TV report after he was cut off by the tide at Wells-next-the-Sea on Friday.
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BBC News
6 hours ago
- BBC News
RNLI Hunstanton called to rescue six people at two beaches
Six people have been rescued during two incidents on the same afternoon. RNLI Hunstanton was alerted at about 17:00 BST on Saturday to reports of three young women cut off by the tide on a sandbank off the Norfolk town. Then just 45 minutes later the crew went out to a man, woman and a child cut off by the tide at Scolt Head, near Brancaster. A spokesperson for RNLI Hunstanton said all six people were taken "safely ashore". The rescues came after a boy was saved on a live TV report after he was cut off by the tide at Wells-next-the-Sea on Friday. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Why do people get cut off by the tide at Wells-next-the-Sea?
A lifeboat service said it has rescued more people cut off by the tide in the past six months than it has in the past seven years. Last week it was called out after 40 people were cut off at two locations on the Norfolk coastline in the space of two hours. Why is the tide so dangerous and what can you do if you get stranded? With heatwaves arriving, the RNLI crew at Wells-next-the-Sea, in Norfolk, has seen hoards of people visit the beach early in the summer season. Despite signs and sirens at the beach, Mandy Humphreys, the water safety officer at Wells RNLI, said a lot of people have a lack of knowledge about the tides. Impact of a changing seabed Ms Humphreys said the contours of the seabed were "always changing" which leads to people being cut off by the tide, even if they have visited that beach before."This is a natural phenomenon. The seabed in this area is very sandy."Unfortunately, over the last couple of years a sandbar has been forming and gradually growing, which runs parallel to Wells beach. The drain that separates it from the rest of the beach is getting deeper." A sandbar is a submerged area of sand or sediment which is formed by waves and currents offshore from a one formed at Wells is said to have one steep side and the other having a shallow Humphreys said she has been involved in rescues where people did not realise they had been cut off. "The beach is very alluring. It's absolutely beautiful... there are a significant number of people that we rescue that don't understand the basics about tides." Tides and times vary Tide times and heights vary throughout the year and can be affected by a number of factors, including the spring equinox, which Ms Humphreys said brings bigger tides than people added that rising sea levels also have an impact and the RNLI can be called out all year round by people cut off by the tide.A tidal surge in March made a "big tide even bigger" and left three people stranded on an area of marshland north of Stiffkey were found "waist deep in water" in an area where the RNLI has not had to rescue people before. Even locals are vulnerable It is not just beachgoers who have found themselves in troubled waters. As the seabed and sand is ever changing, people living locally and those who have visited the beach on multiple occasions can never be sure of the conditions. As one of the hotspots where people become stranded, the RNLI was first alerted to the sandbar at the beach after a group of local residents became unknowingly her time with the RNLI Ms Humphreys has taken part in a simulation of what it is like to be stranded on a sandbar, and despite wearing a life jacket and having a crew near by she said she was left feeling "incredibly vulnerable".She added: "I've helped rescue people from that sandbar and being stood on that sandbar myself... I still felt quite vulnerable and the urge to wade back to safety is a very strong one, I really understand that now." Be aware of the dangers Ms Humphreys said people visiting the beach often have a lower perception of danger when on far this year 43 people have been rescued by the Wells crew after being stranded, with 34 of them at Wells beach."I've been on rescues where we have gone out... the water has been up to my thigh, and then sometimes if there are dogs or children that are frightened it takes some minutes to get them in, and then it [the water] is up to my waist."Having worked with Wells RNLI for the past seven years, Ms Humphreys said it can take crew members up to 10 minutes to get to an incident after being paged. One of the worst things is they do not always know the exact details of the incident they are going out to."The Stiffkey shout, where we had three shouts on Mothering Sunday, we knew they were up to their waists in water… as a crew member that puts the fear of God into me. Every second really does matter."That's real pressure. So we encourage people that if they are cut off, the earlier they can tell us, the longer we have to get there before they are up to their waists in water." What to do in an emergency If you are stranded at the beach, the RNLI urges people to call 999 for help and use what3words to help the service locate is advised people get back to dry sand at least four hours before high tide. Ms Humphreys said: "If they sit tight and wait for the lifeboat to get there, that's the safest thing to do."For Wells station in particular, we know from the description where they are." Even though people may want to wade through the water, the steep side of the sandbar means people can find themselves in deep water "quicker than expected". "It's not the people who call 999 that worry me so much, it's the people who wade back to safety themselves. We get reports of parents holding children above their heads and I worry that if someone loses their footing, you then have a youngster and an adult in the water." The RNLI's Float to Live campaign advises people that if they find themselves in difficulty they should tilt their head back in the water, try to breath normally, and move their arms and legs to help stay afloat. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
2 days ago
- BBC News
BBC TV report captures sea rescue live from beach in Norfolk
TV viewers were given a stark reminder of the dangers of the sea when a boy became stranded live on journalist Debbie Tubby was reporting from Wells-next-the-Sea when cameras captured the 13-year-old getting cut-off on watching Look East were able to look on in real time as the beach-goer was loaded on to a Susie Fowler-Watt said the incident had a "happy ending" as the boy was brought ashore. It happened shortly after the regional news show started airing at 18:30 BBC was broadcasting live from the popular beach after 40 people were cut-off by the tide within two hours the previous weekend. Almost three minutes into the report, cameras cut to show the boy sitting on sand while surrounded by water."You might be able to see a boy who's actually stuck on the sand bar out several metres away from me," said Tubby, live on air."The RNLI has been launched to try and get him so hopefully we'll get him back safe and sound." 'Slightly embarrassed' The programme continued with other reports before returning to Tubby about nine minutes showed the sand had all-but-disappeared and the boy was being helped by an RNLI crew. Speaking from the studio in Norwich, presenter Fowler-Watt said: "This is what we were talking about earlier, how precarious it can become very quickly."Luckily, the RNLI has reached the boy and he looks like he's safely on the boat there, so a happy ending in that particular scenario."The boy's mother later told Tubby she was grateful for the help he received, but admitted he should be "slightly embarrassed". Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
