A group of people had to be rescued from the sea off North Pier last night.

Help arrived at around 7.40pm as emergency crews assisted in difficult weather conditions.



They were rescued by the coastguard from Lytham and Fleetwood.

The RNLI and emergency crews also attended.

Holyhead Coastguard requested the launch of Lytham St Annes Mersey class All-weather Lifeboat Her Majesty the Queen, while Blackpool's two D class Inshore Lifeboats (ILBs), Fleetwood Lifeboat, Lytham and Fleetwood Coastguard rescue teams, Blackpool Fire & Rescue Service and a Coastguard helicopter were also tasked to attend the incident as weather conditions were poor.

Quick thinking staff on North Pier had thrown a life ring to the people when they spotted the people in the water. The two people eventually managed to get close enough to the sea wall to be rescued from the shore by Lytham Coastguard Team. Both the Blackpool ILBs and Lytham Lifeboat were on scene at the time and were released to return to their respective stations at 8.30pm.

The Lytham Lifeboat made her way home and was about to be brought ashore when she was requested at 9.07pm to return to North Pier when an object, possible a body, was reported in the sea. The Lifeboat retraced her track back to North Pier and then commenced an expanding area search of the sea with the Lytham Coastguard Team searching along the shoreline. After an intensive search nothing was found and Holyhead Coastguard concluded that the sighting was a false alarm with good intent and called the mission off at 10.20pm.

Lytham St Annes Lifeboat Coxswain John Atkinson said: "Although the second call for the Lifeboat turned out to be a false alarm the Coastguard were rightly concerned until we had searched and made sure that nothing was there.''