RNLI lifeguards: Daily safety services have ended on a majority of
beaches throughout the county

LAST Sunday (Sept 6) was the last day of the summer where life­guards were on duty at a number of beaches in the county.

RNLI lifeguards have been on duty at Amroth, Saundersfoot, Tenby North, Tenby South, Tenby Castle, Freshwa­ter West, Broad Haven, Nolton Haven, Newgale South, Newgale North, New­port and Poppit Sands beaches.

Safety patrols on Pendine and Pem­brey in Carmarthenshire will also finish on Sunday.

Lifeguards will continue providing a safety service between 10am and 6pm on weekends on Whitesands beach until Sunday, September 27.

Despite some inclement weather over the summer there have been high numbers of visitors to the county’s beaches and the RNLI lifeguards have provided safety advice and assistance to thousands of beachgoers.

They have also been involved in a variety of rescues and incidents, from saving the lives of people caught in rip currents to helping rescue a Labrador swimming 800m off shore from Tenby towards Caldey Island.

The lifeguards, which carry a range of first aid equipment, including oxy­gen, spinal boards, a defibrillator, drugs to treat a range of acute conditions, plastic airways, a burns kit and fracture straps, also dealt with a high number of first aid incidents.

RNLI Lifeguard Manager Phil Davies said: “I would like to thank all the lifeguards who once again provided a first class safety service on the coun­ty’s beaches this summer.

“They have shown commitment and dedication and have again rescued and assisted a large number of people on the beaches.

“There were incidents this season where the action of the lifeguards saved people’s lives and for that they should be commended.

“The majority of our lifeguards’ work is preventative so they will have also stopped many more potentially dangerous incidents before they oc­curred.

“Lifeguards will continue to pro­vide a safety service on weekends at Whitesands until the end of the month and our advice is to always swim at a lifeguarded beach whenever possible.

“People visiting beaches which do not have lifeguards can help keep them­selves safe by taking note of the safety signage at the entrance to the beach, go­ing with a friend or telling someone on the shore where they are going, at the same time always being aware of the conditions and their own capabilities in the water.”

The RNLI lifeguard service is pro­vided in partnership with Pembrokesh­ire County Council.

Councillor Elwyn Morse, Pem­brokeshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport and Leisure, said: “Once again the RNLI lifeguards have done a marvellous job in keeping our beaches safe for another season.

“They seem to have been quite busy this year with a couple of notable rescues which is a reminder to us all to take care in the sea.

“With the onset of autumn and win­ter, the ocean becomes even more dan­gerous with plummeting temperatures and storm conditions prevailing.

“We urge all beach users to treat the ocean with respect, be aware of the dangers and wear the right equipment if venturing into the water.”

Matt Horton, RNLI Senior Life­guard Manager, added: “The next few weeks will see the autumn equinox and the big tides which accompany that so people walking on the coast should al­ways check the tide times before setting out and carry a means of communica­tion.

“Autumn and winter usually see bigger swells which mean more unpre­dictable rip currents in the water.

“Unfortunately we saw a number of incidents this year where people who went in to try and help others in the wa­ter and got into difficulty themselves.

“The RNLI’s advice is not to enter the water if you see someone in trou­ble but rather to call 999 and ask for the coastguard.”

Despite the peak season being over, RNLI lifeguards are set for a busy weekend next week as they provide safety cover for the Ironman Wales event in Tenby.