"Lifeboat Crews Rescue 14 During Weekend Tidal Surges"

Over the weekend, fourteen people and four dogs were rescued after being stranded by rising tides in Wirral over a 48-hour period.

Lifeboat crews conducted two rescues at 11:00 on Sunday after four people and three dogs became trapped by the tide near West Kirby. This followed the rescue of ten people and a dog from dangerous waters in the same area on Friday, near Hilbre Island on the Dee Estuary.

In the first rescue on Sunday, the RNLI volunteer crew found two people and their dog standing "ankle deep in water," with the tide quickly rising. They had been cut off between Middle Eye and Little Eye islands and had sought safety on slippery rocks.

Shortly after, the lifeboat crew spotted two more people and two dogs trapped between Hilbre Island and Middle Eye, also in need of rescue.

Andy Brown from the West Kirby RNLI launch authority said the surge in rescues was due to "high spring tides" combined with strong winds. He praised the public for promptly contacting emergency services, noting that despite careful planning, the tidal surge had been unexpectedly strong.