This was the moment a teenager was rescued by holidaymakers on Saturday (May 26th) after he was blown out half a mile into the Bristol Channel while using an inflatable dinghy.
Coastguards, lifeboats, police and an ambulance from Burnham-On-Sea rushed to Berrow beach at 10.55am after the boy’s family raised the alarm when they saw him frantically waving from the inflatable.
The 15 year-old’s family, from Kidderminster in the West Midlands, swam out into the channel with a rubber ring to pull him back before one of Burnham’s lifeboats arrived on scene.
The boy was treated on the beach by an ambulance crew for shock.
Burnham Coastguard Station Officer Steve Bird told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “He was very lucky to be rescued. While the efforts of his family were admirable, this was potentially a dangerous thing to do given the strong off-shore winds and an outgoing tide.”
Peter Robinson, one of the rescuers on the beach, told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “The dinghy was getting blown further and further out to sea – it must have been half a mile or more – so we decided to swim out to reach him. We are so relieved he’s safe again.”
Coastguards and the lifeboat crew checked over the teenager before the ambulance arrived to give him treatment.
Pictured: The scenes on Berrow beach on Saturday during the rescue of the teenager (Photos: Burnham-On-Sea.com)
