Skegness rubber ring rescue prompts inflatables warning

Skegness beach filled up in June as people flocked to enjoy the hot weather

A mother and her son have been rescued after getting into difficulty on a rubber ring off the coast of Skegness.

Lifeguard Lois Kemp spotted the pair in distress at 15:00 BST on Sunday and swam out to them before members of the public on a boat took them to shore.

They were taken to hospital but have since been discharged.

The RNLI said people should only visit lifeguarded beaches, and warned inflatables were designed for use in pools not the sea.

Arun Gray, from the organisation, said the woman and her son were spotted struggling to stay afloat about 300m (328 yards) north of the beach's red and yellow flags.

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"The mother was trying to keep the boy on the rubber ring but owing to sea conditions, she was unable to do this, and her head kept going under the water," the RNLI said.

A woman on a passing boat helped wrap the lifeguard's rescue tube around the mother, and the boy was lifted on to the vessel.

"Thanks to the swift actions of our lifeguards and quick thinking by members of the public, a mother and son were speedily rescued from danger," Mr Gray said.

"Our charity's lifeguards regularly train for incidents such as this and I'm really proud of the teamwork they demonstrated.

"I'd also like to thank our Skegness Coastguard colleagues for their support, and the couple in the boat who stopped to help."