'People drifting out to sea' in Fleetwood was actually bundle of balloons says HM Coastguard
Alarming reports of people drifting far out to sea turned out to be a big bundle of balloons, said the coastguard.
Rescue crews from Fleetwood and Lytham were deployed, along with Blackpool Beach Patrol, after concerned members of the public spotted what appeared to be people in struggling in the sea around 5pm on Monday.
The coastguard used high-powered binoculars and a long-lensed camera to zoom in on the sighting, but established it was in fact a bundle of balloons bobbing along the water.
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Fleetwood Coastguard said: “The team was called alongside our flank team HM Coastguard Lytham and Blackpool Beach Patrol at 5pm yesterday, to reports of people in difficulty in the sea.
“Upon arrival we spoke to the first informants and they pointed out the objects of concern that were drifting out to sea.
“We were able to see the objects and could understand how they appeared to be people. It actually took some high-powered binoculars and a long-lensed camera to establish that the objects were not people and actually bundles of balloons.”
The coastguard added: “Balloons and other inflatables are problematic for us because not only are they very often confused for people in the water (through a very common phenomena called pareidolia, where our brains assume human shapes in random out of place objects) but they also cause major problems for marine life.
“The informants were absolutely right to call us. Although often a false alarm, sometimes it's not and there really are people in imminent danger and we have the equipment and training to make that determination and take the appropriate action.”
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