Abandoned clothing near a lifeboat station sparked an emergency response.
Coastguards received a report from someone visiting Formby beach on New Year's Day at around 10.50am to say they had found abandoned clothing near the lifeguard station. Southport’s independent lifeboat was asked to take their quads and assist in what they believed to be a search for a potentially missing or vulnerable person.
However, coastguards said they soon found out the clothing had been left in an attempt to encourage a lost dog to return home. HM Coastguard Southport said it was an "unusual conclusion to a tasking".
