“I would say they had a lucky escape; it could have been much worse.”

That was the message from the station manager of a south Cumbrian search and rescue team after 15 members of the public were nearly being cut off by an incoming tide at the weekend.

Members of Flookburgh-based Bay Search and Rescue (BSAR) were enjoying a relatively stress-free Bank Holiday Weekend until they received a call of approximately 15 people including children, and dogs, who were at risk of being potentially cut off by the tide opposite Silverdale Shore Car Park.

BSAR crews were conducting routine checks patrols at the time along the coastline between Arnside and Silverdale when they were paged to quickly return to base at The Bob-In Café before heading back out onto the shoreline.

On arrival at the scene, a spokesperson from BSAR said Arnside and South Lakes Coastguard Rescue Team had ‘witnessed several people wade waist deep through the gully which separates the car park from the shore’.

The rescue team said it had spoken to ‘several people who’d had a near miss with the incoming tide’.

It comes after thousands of visitors flocked to Cumbria due to the nice weather.

Station Manager of BSAR Gary Parsons said: “It could have been an ordeal. The problem is the area at Silverdale looks very inviting, but you can’t really see the tide moving from the shore.

“People wander out and get caught out because unfortunately the channels have changed dramatically over the last two or three months.

“They are now very deep and have some very fast flowing water coming through them when the tide is coming in.

“One comes in right by the side of the car park. People were forced to wade back through at waist and chest height to get back to the car park again.

“Clearly, they weren’t aware of the tidal movements at high tide.

“I would say they had a lucky escape; it could have been much worse.”

HM Coastguard UK advises people to check the weather forecast and tide times before you leave home.