Seven stranded students rescued from tidal island

Worm's Head is usually accessible on foot for two hours and 30 minutes either side of low tide

Seven students have been rescued after becoming stranded on a tidal island in stormy conditions.

Lifeboat volunteers made four trips to bring the group from Worm's Head, off the Gower, to safety in Rhossili on Saturday.

The group of American students - made up of five women and two men - had been spending some time at Swansea University and decided to make the trip to the island but were cut off by the incoming tide.

Jon Tarrant, one of the volunteer crew, said it was a "challenging rescue", adding: "The swell was up to two metres and the rise and fall of the water presented difficulties in picking up the people and also returning them to shore at Rhossili."

The RNLI team said the students were "extremely grateful" and "could not believe that all the crew were unpaid volunteers".

Worm's Head is usually accessible on foot for two hours and 30 minutes either side of low tide, but can close earlier due to strong winds accelerating the arrival of high tide.

Lawrie Grove, lifeboats operation manager, said its opening times were displayed near to the causeway.

"I would remind people when walking on or near the coast to make sure that they check local tide times and plan walks accordingly," he added.

"They should never try to swim or wade to shore when cut off by the tide, it is extremely dangerous."

It is not the first time students have had to be rescued from Worm's Head, with a group of eight becoming stranded in October.