Lifeguards recall rescue of girl swept out to sea

Lifeguard Joseph Leggatt (left) and supervisor Louis Evans carried out the rescue

Lifeguards have recalled the moment they saved a young girl who was swept out to sea at Withernsea beach.

Lifeguard Joseph Leggatt spotted a struggling girl in the water on 13 July and alerted supervisor Louis Evans, who rescued her and brought her to safety.

A RNLI spokesperson said the girl had swallowed water and her parents were advised to take her to hospital to be checked for secondary drowning.

Mr Evans said: "This was the first time I've had to carry out a rescue in seven years of lifeguarding and I would certainly consider it a life saved."

The lifeguards were taking part in a routine patrol when Mr Leggatt spotted a young girl struggling in the water.

He flagged to Mr Evans that she was a weak swimmer before she slipped off a sandbar and was swept out beyond her depth.

Mr Evans ran towards the scene with the RNLI rescue board and brought the girl safely back to shore where she was reunited with her family and medically assessed.

The supervisor praised his fellow lifeguard and said Mr Leggatt's work "played a key role in the rescue".

"Thanks to Joseph's quick observation and teamwork, we were able to intervene just in time," he said.

RNLI lifeguards are urging beachgoers to swim between the red and yellow safety flags to avoid similar incidents happening.

The warning comes ahead of Withernsea's Blue Light Weekend, a fundraising event inspired by RNLI manager Steve Medcalf, who died in 2022 trying to save his dogs from a fire.

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