TWO anglers were rescued after drifting off the Hornsea coast in a toy dinghy.
Humber Coastguard has criticised the "dangerous" angling method, which they say could have resulted in tragedy.
Hornsea Inshore Rescue and a rescue helicopter were scrambled to the scene of Sunday's drama.
However, a kayaker reportedly managed to drag the inflatable, which had drifted about 50m (164ft) from the shore, to safety before the crews arrived.
Mario Siano, national angling liaison officer for HM Coastguard, said: "It's not safe to fish from a toy inflatable. It's an extremely dangerous practice, because a toy dinghy is not stable enough.
"A hook from a line could easily cause an inflatable to burst and we could be looking at a serious incident."
Hornsea beach was packed with hundreds of day-trippers making the most of the sunny weather.
Mr Siano said the anglers, who were rescued shortly after 2.30pm, had a lucky escape.
"A member of the public dialled 999. A kayaker, in the area at the time and spotting the anglers in difficulties, rescued them prior to the arrival of the emergency services," he said.
Mr Siano said a few years ago an angler in another part of the country was swept out to sea in similar circumstances.
"A man had entered the water in a toy inflatable dinghy," he said. "The dinghy was tethered to the shore.
"Unfortunately, the tide came in and dislodged the stake he'd pushed into the sand.
"A Nimrod surveillance aircraft found him drifting five miles out to sea.
"People really need to be aware of the dangers of using inflatables in the sea. It's highly dangerous.
"The sea is also still pretty chilly at this time of the year."
Meanwhile, Mr Siano's colleagues have urged visitors to East Yorkshire's coastline to be aware of dangerous offshore winds and treacherous tides.
Traditionally, the coastguard sees a sharp rise in the number of call-outs following the spring bank holiday weekend when the weather usually begins to improve.
Mark Ellis, a watch manager at Humber Coastguard's headquarters in Bridlington, said: "Visitors to the coast should be aware of tide times and offshore winds, which can easily blow inflatables out to sea.
"People should also check tide timetables to avoid being caught out."
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