North Wales Police & UK Coastguard Issue Safety Advice

North Wales Police and UK Coastguard have joined forces to issue coastal safety advice after a weekend of tragic incidents on UK beaches. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

‘Deputy Chief Constable Gareth Pritchard North Wales Police said “North Wales is renowned for its stunning beaches and rugged coastline and we all want to make sure people enjoy it safely. The seas have been unforgiving this weekend and we cannot stress enough that piers, rocks, harbours and the water’s edge are not safe places to be when the weather is bad. Rough seas can be extremely dangerous, even in summer months, as we witnessed recently following the tragic events in Barmouth and we would urge people to take extra care if they’re heading to the coast.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Carl Evans, Duty Controller for the UK Coastguard at Holyhead, said: ‘Sea conditions can change within minutes, and so can the weather. We would always urge people to be extremely careful when near any body of water whether you’re swimming, sailing, angling, walking or just exploring rocks near the water’s edge. Check the tide and weather before heading to the coast and wherever possible head to a lifeguarded beach and swim between the red and yellow flags. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“Make sure you watch your children at all times. If the weather is bad, and the red flags are out – follow the lifeguard advice and do not enter the water. Even the strongest swimmer could be pulled under a heavy wave. If you’re on the shoreline, the areas that waves wash onto can often be very slippery and because there is little to hold on to even a small wave can come out of nowhere and quickly wash you off and into the sea.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Always take a mobile phone with you and if you get into difficulty or you see anyone in trouble on the coast call 999 immediately and ask for the Coastguard. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​