A 'terrified' mum who was cut off by the tide while walking her dogs on the beach was saved by a passerby on a jet ski. Leigh Woolliscroft, her nine-year-old daughter and a friend were walking their dogs when they suddenly realised they were starting to get trapped by the water.
They attempted to head back to shore, but soon realised they had been cut off in a spot where the tide comes in from three different directions. The RNLI said it was then "a race against time to return them to safety".
As volunteers from the charity launched their lifeboat, jet skier Alan Bates rushed to the group's aid alongside two others who were kayaking. They helped keep Leigh's daughter stay afloat while giving buoyancy to Leigh and her friend.
Images captured from the lifeboat showed the terrified trio and their dog being helped into the lifeboat before being brought back to the shore in Fleetwood, Lancashire. But Leigh said her and her friend were 'really panicking' and that her daughter was 'terrified' while they were stranded.
She said: "I’ve been coming to Fleetwood with the dogs for many years and as it was such a nice day we just went that little bit further and thought we had at least an hour to get back. What we didn’t realise it that the tide here comes in from three different directions. Before too long we were stranded, my friend can’t swim so was really panicking and my daughter was terrified."
Leigh, of Clayton le Moors, Lancashire, thanked the RNLI 'from the bottom of my heart' and said everyone in the rescue team was 'fantastic'.
She said: "We only live 40 minutes from Fleetwood, but I can honestly say I didn’t have a clue what the RNLI really did until we needed them. I would like to thank them from the bottom of my heart for what they did.
"It’s amazing to think they are volunteers. They were absolutely fantastic and thankfully we’re all fine. My daughter was taken to hospital for a check-up, she was later discharged, but we’re well aware things could have been very different."
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Captain David Eccles, lifeboat operations manager at Fleetwood RNLI, said the rescue was 'amazing' and thanked Alan for saving the trio's lives.
He said: "This really was an amazing multi-agency rescue and I’m incredibly proud of our volunteer crew. I’d also like to thank Alan, who undoubtedly helped save lives.
"The important early information from the volunteers at Coastwatch ensured we were able to help this family in time. The intervention by members of the public was vital and they undoubtedly made a major contribution in the rescue.
"Had they not spotted the family in danger, or not been in the right place at the right time, the outcome could have been very different. This is our second rescue in a week at this particular place and we urge the public to check tide times before walking out on the sandbanks."
