Tide warning after family trapped

9:20am Friday 8th June 2007

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Coastguards are warning visitors to Pembrokeshire beaches to make sure that they are well informed of tide times and beach conditions, following an incident where two children were cut off by the tide at Monkston Beach last Tuesday evening.

The seven and eight-year-old children had been left to walk home, after their mother left by car for the family's holiday caravan at New Hedges.

When she realised that the children had not returned from the beach their mother went back but could not see them. She found the children soaking wet and scared, they had waded waist deep in water around the coves until they got to dry sand.

Coastguard teams from Tenby, together with the town's RNLI inshore lifeboat came to the aid of the family.

The holiday makers, from Oldham, Lancashire, had no idea of how tides affected the beach, or that when the tide came in over sands, many of the coves and rocks that were accessible on low tides were completely covered and inaccessible.

"Although both children were unharmed and did not require medical attention, the result could have been very different," said a spokesman for Milford Haven coastguard.

"H.M. Coastguard always recommend that any person visiting our glorious beaches make sure that they are aware of the tides and any unusual conditions, for example rip tides, quick sands, unstable rocks.

"All this information is available via a telephone call 24hrs a day, seven days a week to the coastguard operations Room at Milford Haven on 01646 690909.

"Tide time tables and other local information can also be found at any local Tourist Information Centre, local newsagents and local newspapers. Always be safe, never sorry."