The coastguard was scrambled to Cleveleys this morning after reports of a ‘person shaped’ object floating in the sea.
HM Coastguard Fleetwood were alerted at 10.30am on New Year’s Eve after the object was seen drifting north from the Cleveleys Vue. Upon arrival at Cove Cafe, they spoke to the first informant who pointed out the object ‘which was suspiciously, person shaped but clearly not a person’.
They then viewed a video taken by the informant and ‘immediately recognised it’ as the type of dummy used for man overboard drills by maritime organisations and training schools. A rescuer was then sent into the water to perform a tethered rescue to ‘prevent the dummy causing more concern and confusion as it drifted up the shoreline’.
After bringing the dummy ashore, it was handed over to Wyre Council to be disposed of. The coastguard praised the caller for doing ‘absolutely the right thing’ and said it ‘made for a very concerning sight in the water’.
Member of the coastguard with the dummy after it was brought ashore
In a post on Facebook this afternoon (December 31), accompanied by pictures of the dummy and rescue, HM Coastguard Fleetwood said: “We were paged at 10.30 to reports of an object in the sea, drifting north from the Cleveleys Vue.
“On arrival at cafe cove the first informant pointed out the object which was suspiciously, person shaped but clearly not a person. Upon closer inspection of a video taken by the informant, we immediately recognised it as the type of dummy used for man overboard drills by maritime organisations and training schools.
“From a distance this made for a very concerning sight in the water”
“Since it was only in a couple of feet of surf, the officer in charge took the decision to send a rescuer into the water to perform a tethered rescue to prevent the dummy causing more concern and confusion as it drifted up the shoreline. After we had safely recovered our casualty to the promenade and made sure they didn’t require any further assistance, we handed them over to Wyre Council for disposal.
“Many thanks to the first informant who did absolutely the right thing in calling for us. From a distance this made for a very concerning sight in the water.”
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