Please don't drink and drown
Coastguards are pleading with youngsters not to engage in pranks for social
media involving swimming and alcohol after a girl and boy were recovered from
the water at Alfred Dock, Seacombe this evening.
The girl, a non-swimmer, had gone into the water with a bottle of alcohol
and the boy intended to swim out to her, drink the bottle, and then attempt to
rescue her. The prank was being filmed by another friend for social media.
A 999 call alerted the Police to the two teenagers who had soon gotten into
difficulties. The police then contacted the Coastguard who sent the New
Brighton and Crosby Coastguard Rescue Teams and the New Brighton RNLI Inshore
Lifeboat. Mersey Fire and Rescue, Mersey Police and the North West Ambulance
Service also attended. The male self recovered and Police threw a line to the
female and recovered her from the water.
Ben Hambling for HM Coastguard says:
“For
a few seconds on social media, these young people were willing to risk losing
their lives. Every year, the Coastguard deals with fatal incidents, where
alcohol is a causal factor. Please don’t drink and drown.”