Stag night reveller in harbour swim suffers hypothermia after turning away rescuers

A STAG night reveller refused to allow a lifeboat to rescue him from the water at Bridlington harbour leaving the crew to call in police.

The man was part of a party visiting from Halifax and the RNLI lifeboat crew had to pick up a police officer to order him to climb aboard the vessel, a process which took 30 minutes.

By that time the man was suffering hypothermia and had to be taken to hospital. The episode led to renewed warnings from coastguards yesterday about the dangers of bathing while under the influence of alcohol.

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The alarm was raised at about 9.50pm on Saturday when Humber Coastguard received a 999 call. The caller was one of a group who had travelled to the resort for a stag party. Bridlington Coastguard Rescue Team and Bridlington RNLI Inshore Lifeboat attempted to recover the man who was under the influence of alcohol. A coastguard spokesman said: "The man refused to be rescued and swam away from the lifeboat.

"A police officer was taken aboard the inshore lifeboat and after 30 minutes the man was recovered from the water."

The man was taken to hospital by the ambulance service suffering from suspected hypothermia and accompanied by a police officer.

Humber Coastguard Watch Officer Alex Harrison said yesterday: "The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) run a 'don't drink and drown' campaign that aims to raise awareness that alcohol and the sea do not mix.

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"Excessive alcohol impairs judgment which can lead to tragic and often fatal accidents.

"This incident was compounded by the man refusing to be rescued, putting both himself and the rescuers in danger, and wasting the valuable time of all the emergency services."

The MCA has designed and produced beer mats for waterside bars and pubs warning of the dangers of mixing alcohol with sailing, swimming, or any other waterborne activities.

Chief Coastguard Rod Johnson said: "Warm evenings coupled with excessive drinking can lead to serious accidents or death.

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"Excessive alcohol impairs judgment and reaction times which can lead to tragic and often fatal accidents.

"It can be very hard for the emergency services to have to tell a family that their son or daughter has been seriously injured or worse.

"Our advice is to mix spirits and water only in a glass."

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