THE mystery of an elderly lady who was last seen trying to rescue a dog from the sea in Blackpool's North Shore area deepened this week.

The woman was spotted by a passer-by on the morning of July 30 following a white Scottish terrier dog into the water close to Uncle Tom's Cabin in Blackpool.

The dog was found later washed up dead on the shore but there was no sign of the pensioner. No new information has emerged following searches by the coastguards and police inquiries.

Gordon Craggs, team leader of Blackpool police communications room, said: "We still haven't confirmed the whereabouts of the lady and we are none the wiser as to what happened or whether she is safe or not."

This case, along with numerous summer drownings both in the resort and throughout the country, has highlighted the great danger that the sea and other water sites pose, particularly towards vulnerable children and the elderly.

The Royal Society for the Preventions of Accidents (ROSPA) is addressing this concern by organising its first national water safety congress at The Imperial Hotel in Blackpool next month.

Peter Cornall, water and leisure manager for the ROSPA explained: "The spate of drownings which co-incided with the hot spells this summer underlined the need for people with responsibility for water sites to make them safe."