Published: May 22, 2010
Burnham lifeboat crew rescues teenager swept away on dinghy

A teenager was rescued by lifeboat crews in Burnham-On-Sea on Saturday (May 22nd) after he got swept away on an inflatable dinghy.

The 17 year-old, from Burnham, had paddled out on his dinghy to reach an inflatable but when his oar snapped in half, he struggled against the receding tide.

Burnham's jetty supervisor spotted the teenager and raised the alarm by alerting Coastguards who in turn called out Burnham's lifeboats at 4.10pm.

The crew of the D-class Puffin lifeboat quickly reached the boy, who had managed to beach his dinghy near Burnham lighthouse, and they brought him back to the safety of Burnham beach, as pictured here.

Burnham Coastguard Officer Robin Hewlett told Burnham-On-Sea.com: "We gave him some advice about sea safety when he got off the lifeboat. It was fortunate that he was not swept out further into the Bristol Channel."

The dinghy and its occupant were brought ashore by the Burnham lifeboat crew

The inflatable was spotted here in the middle of the estuary, with Steep Holme to the left, on the outgoing tide

Walkers on Burnham's jetty watching the inflatable, circled in our photo above