Barmouth RNLI has issued a warning to the public following three callouts in one day to people unprepared for the dangers of the sea.

The pagers first sounded at 12.12pm on Wednesday, 27 May when two children on a paddleboard got into difficulty in offshore winds near the north bank.

A family member swam out to assist, and the RNLI had to recover all three, and the paddleboard.

The crew then carried returned one further paddleboard with one person on board to the shore before returning to the boathouse.

At 2.26pm the crew was called to reports of two people on inflatable kayaks being blown offshore.

The lifeboat travelled to the kayakers who initially declined assistance. The lifeboat crew kept watchful on the kayakers who were determined to paddle back to shore. Realising they were fighting a losing battle, they accepted the offer of help from the volunteer crew and the kayaks and casualties were recovered to the shoreline. The crew returned to the boathouse and were refuelling when they were required to relaunch with some urgency .

They received reports of swimmers in difficulty off the sandbank in front of the boathouse. Fortunately, by the time the lifeboat reached the shoreline, the swimmers had made their way to safety, and the volunteer crew returned to the boathouse and Craig Steadman was readied for service for the final time that day.

An RNLI spokesperson said: “Whilst we want visitors to enjoy the beach, we actively discourage the use of inflatables in the water, especially with an offshore wind. The wind will blow you out to sea faster than you can paddle back. None of the casualties recovered today were wearing life jackets or flotation devices which we encourage.

“Also, whilst you are on the water we suggest you carry a means of contacting someone if you do get into difficulty.”