River Rescue on Fleetwood Marsh

Fleetwood Marsh was the scene of a dramatic rescue on Friday 24th October when a shooting trip suddenly turned dangerous for a man and his best friend.

Paul Consitt of Larkholme Parade was on a duck shoot on the Wyre marsh behind Fleetwood docks with his chocolate labrador dog.

The shoot took him out towards the Tiger’s Tail, the end of the sandbank on the river side of the Wyre Channel.

When the dog bounded into the water to retrieve a widgeon, it was caught in the Wyre Channel’s notoriously strong currents and was unable to return to dry land.

As the dog struggled against the fierce waters, the alarm was raised. The fast rib from Fleetwood’s Nautical Campus was dispatched, and thanks to the swift actions of the crew, the dog was safely returned to terra firma.

No-one was hurt in the incident, but it serves as a timely reminder to us all of the Wyre’s unforgiving nature. Our thanks go to the volunteers and crew members of HM Coastguard and the RNLI who keep our waters safe.