Beachgoers warned after children rescued on inflatable

A lifeboat crew were on their way to a training exercise when they were alerted to a group on an inflatable boat near Saltdean

Beachgoers in Sussex have been warned by the RNLI to not use inflatables in the sea after three people had to be rescued.

A lifeboat crew were on their way to a training exercise in Newhaven at about 19:00 BST on Tuesday when they were alerted to a group on an inflatable boat near Saltdean.

Two children and one adult were rescued having been blown out to sea by an offshore wind, Brighton RNLI said.

Lifeboat operations manager Roger Cohen said: “Our advice is not to use inflatables in the sea – please save them for the pool.”

“If you do decide to head down to the beach, please stay near lifeguards, make sure children are supervised and stay close to the shore between the red and yellow flags.

“We know the beach is becoming busier now the weather is warming up so please share this information with your friends and family.”

The rescues were the first real-life incidents for new recruit Charlie Kelly, who said: "It was great teamwork making sure the four people who needed rescuing on Tuesday made it back safely onto land and I was able to use my training in a real-life situation.

"We are expecting more call outs now the weather is warming up so it’s vital anyone going out on the water checks RNLI safety advice and has a means of communication with them."