EMERGENCY crews were kept busy as beach-goers flocked to the coast during the hottest weekend of the year.

Clacton RNLI’s lifeboat was on hand just before 11am on Sunday to rescue someone who needed treatment for a spinal injury.

The crew was already afloat performing a series of training exercises when the call came in that a person was in the water and suffering from injuries at Gunfleet Boating Club, off Holland-on-Sea.

Arriving on scene, the crew located the casualty who was found kneeling in the sea with back pain.

Read more:

A trained crew member decided due to the severity of the pain and its locality the injury should be treated as a spinal injury.

The crew stabilised the casualty and a HART paramedic team arrived at the scene to take the patient to hospital for further tests and treatment.

Shortly before 6.45pm on Friday, the crew launched its lifeboat to the west of Clacton Pier following reports of a person in difficulty.

Upon arrival, the volunteer crew located the casualty, who was being assisted by the pier staff who had thrown a life ring down.

The crew helped the casualty on board the lifeboat and took them to the lifeboat station for further assessment. It was decided to transfer the patient to Colchester Hospital for further assessment and treatment.

The incidents come as the RNLI and HM Coastguard issued a joint appeal for families to take care at the coast during the school holidays, as figures reveal RNLI lifeguards saved the lives of 54 children and teenagers last summer.

Of those lives saved, 35 were aged 12 or under, while RNLI lifeguards also went to the aid of more than 12,000 under-18s between June and September 2020.

With school children in England breaking up this week, the RNLI and Coastguard are reminding families to be aware of the risks.

RNLI regional water safety lead Nick Ayers said: “We see a big increase in the number of incidents in the sea involving children and teenagers during the school summer holidays and we would urge everyone to be aware of the risks and know what to do in an emergency.

“We want people to enjoy the coast but urge everyone to respect the water, think about their own safety and know what to do in an emergency.”