Coastguard rescue: Man buys boat and takes it on River Wyre for the first time - and gets it stuck

The man, who had some training in power boating, took the four-metre inflatable vessel out with another man and two women, but had to be helped by two Coastguard teams after getting into trouble near Barnaby Sands, opposite the Heads Caravan Park in Stalmine, shortly before 4pm on Sunday, a Coastguard spokesman said.

He said: “They admitted they had just bought it and had not used it, but all is well that ends well.”

Coastguard rescuers from Knott End took the two women to safety first, before they were joined by staff from Fleetwood to take the boat back to shore and put it back on its trailer, the spokesman said yesterday.

The four, who were “cold and shivering” but otherwise unharmed, got into trouble by sticking to the middle of the river, which meanders and has a number of sandbanks, the spokesman added.

Those new to the river should walk its banks while the tide is out, he said.