PARENTS heading to the seaside have been urged to take selfies with their children after 40 kids went missing on a crowded UK beach in just one day.
The HM Coastguard advice comes after rescue teams received a high number of call outs to a crowded West Sussex beach on Saturday.
Police in Chichester said there had been “multiple reports” of lost children on West Wittering beach during the hot weather at the weekend.
It said all reports “required a large number of resources to assist them in being reunited”.
HM Coastguard confirmed all the children reported lost on the beach had been found safe and well.
An 11-year-old child was also reported missing from nearby Camber Sands beach on Saturday.
The child was found safe and well prior to the coastguards and lifeboat crew arriving on scene.
Sussex Police said it had been “an exceptionally busy day”.
‘Take a selfie’
Tom Barnett, network commander at HM Coastguard said: “Keeping an eye on your children is obviously the best way to stop them wandering off into difficult situations, but we understand sometimes that can be a challenge.
“Busy beaches can be disorientating, especially to little ones, so it’s good to have a few Plan Bs up your sleeve.
“Take a photo of your child when you arrive that clearly shows what they look like and what they are wearing and agree a meeting point if they get lost like a lifeguard station.
“Some places even give away free kids’ wristbands to write your phone number on so you can be called if you do get separated.
“Remember in an emergency at the coast call 999 and ask for the coastguard.”
A spokesman for Sussex Police added: “Please remain vigilant regarding the location of your children.
“We have had multiple reports come through to Sussex Police of parents losing sight of their children and being unable to find them due to how busy the beach becomes, which has required a large number of resources to assist them in being reunited with families.”
It added it also had to deal with several other incidents, such as helping people who had got into difficulty in the water, administering “medical assistance” and “setting up a helicopter landing site in Chichester”.
The latest advice follows on from an urgent warning issued to parents by police in April after “several” children went missing on beaches near the Lancashire coast.
At the time, cops issued a statement for people to make sure that kids are not left unsupervised at beaches as they can be “very dangerous places”.
Lancashire Police’s Fylde unit said the warm weather had led to a rise in visitors to nearby beaches but it was “disappointing to see that youngsters are still regularly permitted to approach the water unsupervised”.
‘This could prove fatal’
In a social media post, they said: “This could prove fatal, even to those who are competent swimmers.”
The dangerous sunglasses for children
A major warning has been issued to parents over illegal sunglasses sold in the UK that are harmful to children.
A third of the kids’ sunglasses bought from online marketplaces including Amazon, AliExpress, eBay and Temu can’t provide the eye protection required and are unsafe for children to wear, new research from Which? revealed.
Amazon, AliExpress, eBay and Temu were contacted for comment.
Of all the sunglasses the watchdog tested, the ones they were most concerned about were:
- Cute Cat Kids’ Sunglasses UV Protection, which cost £1.59 (bought from Amazon). Researchers noted the lenses let through between 19 and 22 times too much UVB, which means they’re providing hardly any eye protection.
- Classic Vintage Holiday Sunglasses UV400 £3.99. Researchers note that since their investigation began, this pair of glasses is no longer listed by the seller. But the eBay store they bought them from lists another 34 different models and claims more than 5,000 sales of sunglasses.
- Others tested by Which? included a heart-shaped pair of glasses bought from a seller on eBay (Retro Love Heart shape UV400, £2.83). The lenses aren’t consistent in the way they filter UV.
Officers added: “In two days, there have been several reports of missing children, which have used a significant amount of police and coastguard resources.
“These incidents are completely avoidable and have a detrimental impact to the service we offer, as when police officers are looking for lost children, we are unable to deal with or prevent crime.”
