BALLOON LAUNCH PROMPTS FALSE KITESURFER SEARCH

A search for a reported kitesurfer in difficulty this afternoon has been called off after the sighting turned out to be several balloons that had been launched as publicity for a local restaurant.

At 17.28 the Beach Safety Unit at Cleethorpes called Humber Coastguard to report that they could see a kitesurfer in distress two nautical miles off the pier.  Humber Coastguard sent the Cleethorpes Coastguard Rescue Team to the scene, and requested the launch of the Cleethorpes RNLI Lifeboat to investigate.  Further reports from the beach also reported that they could see a kite, but not a person, in the water, drifting in a north-westerly direction.

At 17.46 the Cleethorpes Lifeboat approached the object that had been spotted from the beach and were able to confirm that it was in fact a collection of balloons that had been released to publicise a restaurant chain.  All units were stood down.

Humber Coastguard Watch Manager Graham Dawson said:

“Anyone launching airborne objects such as Chinese lanterns or balloons in proximity to the coast should always inform the Coastguard in advance so that we can avoid false alarms such as these.  The good weather has meant that today has been an extremely busy day for the Coastguard and other rescue agencies and we would like to avoid unnecessarily sending resources away from people who might really need them.”

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