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'This is not just reckless, it's potentially fatal'

Hannah LucasBBC News
News imageHumber Rescue A man in a black T-shirt and khaki shorts with two children, one wearing pink and the other red, walking in the middle of a sandbank. The tide is a long way out and they are surrounded by mud. A row of green trees lines the bank on the far side of the river.Humber Rescue
The man and two children were spotted in the Humber estuary

A lifeboat service has issued a warning about the dangers of walking through the Humber estuary at low tide after a man was seen with two children on a sandbank.

Humber Rescue was alerted over the recent bank holiday weekend to the trio, off Hessle Foreshore.

The charity, which gave the man "safety advice", said: "This is not just reckless, it's potentially fatal."

It warned that the "incoming tide can cut off sandbanks in minutes and the shifting mud can trap people fast".

News imageHumber Rescue A man and two children walking on sandbanks. They are a long way out, with mud and very shallow brown water surrounding them. The water gets deeper in the distance. There is a stony shore in the foreground.Humber Rescue
The man and two children in the distance, a long way from safety

It added: "We train for the worst and respond when called, but don't make us your last chance. Stay safe. Stay off the riverbed."

Meanwhile, the lifeboat charity said it had saved four people during a recent 12-hour period, carrying out an overnight mud rescue and responding to a sinking boat.

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