Inflatables warning goes unheeded
Posted on August 02nd 2010
With the start of the school holidays the Maritime and Coastguard Agency issued the usual warnings about safety on beaches and along the coast. But within days, tragedy struck.
Responsible boat insurance customers will not need these reminders, of course. All the same the MCA stressed the precautions that parents need to take with children in their care. Injuries jumping from cliffs and bridges are a concern as well as the perennial problems with inflatable toys.
"Inflatable boats and toys can be great fun," said Matt Pavitt, HM Coastguard's North Cornwall Sector Manager, "but we'd rather that you used them in swimming pools than at the beach. If you do use one at the beach, tether it to an adult and never use it in an offshore wind. Inflatables can easily be blown out to sea and overturn."
Sure enough, within a week his words had proved prophetic. The MCA reported that a teenage boy had drowned off Blackpool beach on Wednesday 28th July. Two fourteen-year-olds had gone out with a large rubber ring and got into trouble. One made it back to the shore, the other did not.
This tragedy underlines the caution that all holidaymakers, not just boat insurance policy holders, need to take.
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