Woman in danger rescued from rocks at Arnside

A woman in danger of getting cut off by a rapidly rising tide at Arnside has been rescued.

The Bay Search & Rescue crew was called by Holyhead Maritime and Coastguard Agency to help in the search for a missing medically vulnerable woman, as the tide quickly drew in.

The team’s all terrain Sherp vehicle was deployed to search the immediate areas around Blackstone Point, White Creek, Park Point and then onward toward Silverdale.

Conditions were extremely cold, well below zero, so much so that the vehicle encountered significant surface ice floating on the water as it used its amphibious capabilities to reach to search these areas.

BSAR’s thermal drone was also prepped ready for deployment just as word came in that the casualty had been found on rocks on the shore in a ‘poor condition.’

Medical attention was given by both BSAR crew and coastguard crew from Arnside & South Lakes Coastguard Rescue Team, and due to location and the increasing tide a request that the Sherp enter the water and meet with the crew on the shore for a safe and effective evacuation was requested.

A spokesperson for BSAR said: ‘’This was one of the few occasions when the tide actually helped speed up the evacuation as it was still running into the Bay quite quickly and speeded up the Sherp’s arrival, the Sherp crew skilfully used the water flow to their advantage and came out of the water guided by the shore crew.

‘’Casualty on board, monitoring attached and observations being taken, they were then gently transported over the icy rocks in the comfort of the Sherp and along the shore line to await the arrival of Northwest Ambulance Service paramedic crew.’’

‘’We wish the casualty a speedy recovery.

‘’This was a superb example of highly trained community volunteers from BSAR working with the emergency services.’’