The RNLI has made an urgent plea for people visiting beaches to educate themselves on the significance of safety flags, in a bid to reduce accidents on the Lincolnshire coast. Over the past quarter, three separate and distressing incidents resulted in loss of life at Skegness, Ingoldmells, and Anderby Creek. Lois Kemp, a senior RNLI lifeguard based in Skegness, voiced her worry about the general public’s understanding of flag meanings. She remembered an occasion when visitors misinterpreted the red and yellow flag – signifying a safe area under lifeguard supervision – as the Spanish flag.
According to Kemp, comprehending these flags is essential as demarcated areas are not only the safest for swimming, but also enable lifeguards to swiftly address emergencies. To enhance safety consciousness, RNLI is actively reaching out to local schools to provide guidance on beach safety measures. ‘Prevention is our prime objective,’ Kemp declared, emphasising the endeavor to stop the occurrence of incidents.
On the unfortunate incident on 25th May, a man aged 60 passed away while attempting to save two children who were in trouble at Ingoldmells. In another harrowing event in late June, the missing teenage boy’s body was retrieved by emergency teams at Anderby Creek. Subsequently, in early July, the family of 29-year-old Aaron Keightley expressed their respect for him posthumously when he faced difficulties whilst swimming off Skegness.
Kemp advises anyone caught in difficulties while swimming to ‘float to live’—a method involving laying flat on one’s back,
spreading out like a starfish, keeping the head above water, and shouting for help until support arrives.
This story was revised from the original report by The Lincoln Post.
