Five people, including two children, were plucked from the rip current at Bantham Beach as a brief spell of warm weather lured visitors back into the water.

RNLI lifeguards have now finished patrolling our beaches until next year – after ending their aummer-long watch with the impressive Halloween rescue.

As people made the most of the mild weather at the end of half term, lifeguards at Bantham spotted two children on bodyboards, and three adults, drifting out to sea.

They were in large surf and surrounded by submerged rocks. The family had split into two groups and were heading out to sea.

Lifeguards responded to the group in most danger first, picking up the two women and one child, before returning them safely to shore in the Inshore Rescue Boat. They then returned to sea where they rescued the second child and assisted the man back to shore.

Paul Gunning, RNLI Lifeguard supervisor, said: ‘The group were shocked at how quickly the current had taken them into danger and the children involved were very upset.

‘We reassured the group and made sure they did not require any medical assistance following the incident, before giving advice on the conditions and hazards at the beach.’

The rescue came at the end of a busy day for the lifeguards at Bantham who also came to the aid of a swimmer, a father and son, and a surfer who were caught in rip current in separate incidents.

For more on this story, see this week’s Kingsbridge & Salcombe Gazette