NEXT time you take Rover for walkies along the beach or a ramble among the sand dunes - be warned!

With the bleak winter weather looming on the horizon walking your dog along the Fylde's seashore is not such a clever idea.

Diving in head-first to rescue your pet from huge waves could be a fatal mistake and end up with you both being carried out to sea.

So, the best advice is to keep your dog on a lead and don't go on to the beach at high tide or in powerful winds.

It's a sad but true fact that each winter several lives are claimed by the unpredictable freak actions of the sea.

Ill-judging the forces of nature and assuming the elements are less dangerous than they look usually ends in tragedy - and many people seem to take very little notice of warning signs.

At more risk than most, children do not seem to recognise the dangers and see the seashore as an adventure playground with many of them participating in a mindless craze called "wave dodging".

The Royal Life Saving Society wants to warn against this dangerous pastime and spokesperson Nigel Jackson said: "Wave dodging is not a game, it's dicing with death and we strongly advise parents and teachers to get this message across."

One child has already drowned this autumn as a result of wave dodging and with the colder weather closing in fast, survival time in the water is greatly reduced.

Lifeboat crews are often hampered by rough seas and freezing fog in the winter when attempting a rescue, so if you are unfortunate enough to fall victim to the murky depths - keep calm, conserve your energy and try to attract attention.

The Royal Life Saving Society UK and the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) are both registered charities - please support the good work they do and you will be helping to save lives.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.