RNLI crew are appealing to members of the public to only use inflatables close to the shore, or keep them tethered, after a spate of call-outs.

Lifeboats based in Aberystwyth assisted 11 people, eight inflatables, one tender and one fishing boat in less than 48 hours as the heat wave attracted sun-lovers to coast.

The crew was called out twice on the evening of Friday, 29 July, firstly to an inflatable dinghy off South Beach.

They were quickly told the casualty had come ashore but, as the Arancia lifeboat had already launched, they decided to see if anyone else was in difficulty due to the offshore wind.

They soon found two people in rubber rings floating out to sea with no way to get back and surrounded by jellyfish. After taking the two casualties back to the shore and explaining about the dangers of the offshore wind, they picked up two more abandoned inflatables before attempting to return to the station.

As they were about to leave the area, they noticed a person under the pier in an inflatable. It was quickly ascertained that they were stuck and unable to make it ashore and also unable to swim.

Less than an hour later, at 7.55pm, the lifeboats were both sent to reports of a large group of people in difficulty off the pier. Once on scene it was quickly identified that a number of inflatables had been taken ashore by passing kayakers and both boats returned back to station.

An RNLI spokesperson said: “The crew at Aberystwyth RNLI want people to enjoy using the sea in this hot weather, but advise people to respect the water and make sure they are properly prepared for the activity they are doing.

"Check wind conditions if using an inflatable and either stay close to the shore or tether the boat so it can’t be blown out to sea.”

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