Five people were rescued after being blown out to sea on inflatable pool rings off the North East coast.

South Shields lifeguards saved three adults and two children and brought them back to safety on the inshore lifeboat off Sandhaven Beach, South Shields.

The RNLI is urging people visiting the North East coast this week to respect the water and visit a lifeguarded beach as the coast has been busy throughout the 2024 summer.

At Sandhaven Beach on Friday 16th August, the water conditions were calm with a high tide but strong offshore winds were building.

The drama began after lifeguards Lucas Campion and Wayne Hann spotted five people sharing four inflatable pool rings between them at about 3pm on Friday August 16.

The offshore winds, which blow from the land to the sea where they blow stronger, had swept the group, two mothers, two young daughters and another adult out to sea.

With no control of the inflatables, and releasing they were blowing them out to sea, they decided to abandon the inflatable rings and swim back. They had drifted up to 100 metres from the shore. Lucas and Wayne were quickly on their way and drove to the casualties in the inshore rescue lifeboat.

Lucas said: "The group panicked when realising that they could not touch the sea floor and had no means of communication or calling for help."

The lifeguards took the group back to safety together and checked their health once on the beach. After the rescuees were safe the lifeguards used the inshore lifeboat to collect the inflatable rings, to ensure no concerns or false alarms were raised.

Lucas added: "I am grateful that the family came to a lifeguarded beach and that we were able to rescue them before they got into any further difficulties or swallowed any water.

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"It is always best to come to a lifeguarded beach as we are here to help, you can have peace of mind that we patrol the beach from 10am to 6pm.

"Ask your lifeguards or check weather conditions when heading to the beach. We have an offshore windsock at the beach which lets people know conditions, as winds can quickly take inflatables and people out to sea.

If you do get into difficulty Float to Live.

  •  Tilt your head back with your ears submerged
  • Try to relax Control your breathing, which can take up to a minute."
  • Use your hands to help you stay afloat, remember everyone floats differently - some people’s legs can sink.
  • Once calm, then try call for help or swim to safety if you can.
  • In a coastal emergency, call 999 or 112 for the Coastguard.