RNLI release video about dangers of inflatables for Easter holidays

Many families are expected to visit the coast, and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution's (RNLI) Skegness Lifeboat Station is calling for visitors to take extra care and be beach safe this Spring and Summer.

The warning follows a series of service launches to drifting inflatables off Skegness last year.

As a result the RNLI Skegness and their lifeguarding team have republished a training video demonstrating the real dangers of inflatables in the sea. The video featuring the Skegness inshore D-class lifeboat and seasonal lifeguards shows a simulation of the rescue process of an inflatable dinghy drifting offshore in an offshore breeze.

The rescue featured in the video would usually take approximately 15 minutes from paging the lifeboat to arriving on the scene. Even in a slight breeze, an inflatable can drift a mile offshore if the wind and tidal conditions are right. Children are often primary users of inflatables at sea, and the risks are high, especially if they cannot reach the shore.

Lincolnshire Police recently announced that their Sandi Starfish scheme, which is run in partnership with RNLI Skegness, will be relaunching for the season.

Anyone visiting the coast this weekend is asked to look out for Sandi Starfish and remember to:

• Collect your free wristband from the Lifeboat Station or other participating sites
• Parents and carers write your contact information on the inside of the wristband
• Use the Sandi Starfish flags along the beach as a meeting point or utilise the RNLI Skegness Lifeboat Station as a meeting point.

RNLI Skegness Lifeboat Station Coxswain Craig Willard said: ‘While inflatables can be great fun, we would advise that you don’t take them to the beach as they are not designed for open water, and it can take a tiny breeze for them to be swept out to sea - much quicker than you can swim or paddle back to the shore.”

If you see someone in difficulty on the sea, dial 999 or 112 and ask for the Coast Guard.