Four girls rescued from riverbank after tide cuts them off

Four girls were rescued by lifeboatmen andreturned to Lytham after being cut off by the tide in the Ribble Estuary during a walk.
Inshore Lifeboat Sally and her crew rescued four girls from the banks of the River RibbleInshore Lifeboat Sally and her crew rescued four girls from the banks of the River Ribble
Inshore Lifeboat Sally and her crew rescued four girls from the banks of the River Ribble

The volunteer crew of the Lytham St Annes RNLI inshore lifeboat Sally responded to a request to launch from Holyhead Coastguard at 6.46pm when the girls were seen on the river bank near the eight mile perch with the Spring tide starting to flood rapidly into the channel, cutting them off. The teenagers did not attempt to cross the rapidly-filling channelwhich could have put them in great danger.

The boat took the girls off the bank and they were handed over to the Coastguard. The ILB was then returned to the boathouse and refuelled and washed off by 7.40pm.

Lifeboat Mechanic Ben McGarry said the girls had done the right thing to stay where they were until help arrived.