THREE Morecambe teenagers were rescued by the resort's lifeboat on Monday night after being cut off by the incoming tide. Luckily they were spotted by a lifeboatman who happened to be cycling by the Stone Jetty.

The youngsters were paddling happily a quarter-of-a-mile offshore unaware the sea had swirled in behind them.

"The current was strong so we couldn't get back," remembered Marc Lord, 15 of Central Drive, who was with Nicky Marshall and Lee Newton both 13 of Victoria Street and North Street.

"I wanted us to swim with the current so we would be dragged to the side but the others were a little bit scared and I wanted to stay with them. We were stranded."

Fortunately lifeboat volunteers were already on the promenade in force and the rescue operation was quickly mounted.

They were spotted by the station's deputy launching officer Dave Dobson, who was cycling on the Stone Jetty at 7.37pm.

He said: "They were well out from the beach, in the far channel. The tide was coming in rapidly behind them. They were paddling, so I couldn't tell if they could swim. By this time, the channel they had been able to walk across earlier was now extremely deep and running quickly. They would have had to be really strong swimmers to get back. I was very concerned."

Dave dashed to the lifeboat station where a meeting of the Morecambe and Heysham Financial Branch of the RNLI was in progress.

John Beaty, station secretary, was at the meeting and was able to see the youngsters through the observation window. He ordered an immediate launch of the lifeboat. Senior helmsman Harry Roberts, who was also at the meeting, got the rescue operation under way within seconds.

Harry said: "By the time we reached the lads and the girl, the channel between them and the shore had filled up. They would have had great difficulty in getting back. Their position was becoming more serious as every minute passed. But it was only when we got to them that they realised how serious it was.

The youngsters were brought ashore none the worse for ware.

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