How to stay safe on the beach this weekend.

• If you’re visiting tidal areas, make sure you’re aware of the tide timetable. Tides in Blackpool for instance can go out or in for up to a mile and very quickly, leaving people stuck on sandbanks; so be mindful when planning a long walk on the beach.
• Remember inflatables aren’t made for the sea and can get blown out by even a light breeze, so try to avoid using them when possible.
• Stick to beaches with lifeguards. Blackpool’s Beach Patrol are trained to an incredibly high standard together with an in house, on-going competency-based training programme throughout the season, which encompasses incident response exercises, fitness drills and first aid training.
• Take note of flag colours and always read and obey warning signs. The area between red and yellow flags is patrolled by lifeguards and is the safest place to swim. An orange windsock denotes strong winds, and a red flag means it’s dangerous to go in the water.
• If you do get in to trouble, don’t panic! Don’t try and swim against a powerful tide as attempting so can lead to exhaustion. Relax, float and try to find something buoyant before swimming to shore.
• If you see someone else in trouble, call the local Beach Patrol or 999 and ask for the coastguard, and if able to, throw the person something that floats that they can hold on to. Do not go into the water yourself.
• Supervise your children at all times.
• Never swim alone.
• Don’t go into the sea after drinking alcohol, in the dark, or if you feel unwell.