Coastguard urges children to not get buried in the sand on the Yorkshire Coast
They say it's important to educate kids and teenagers about the potential dangers
Last updated 28th Jun 2023
Families on the Yorkshire Coast are being urged watch their children on the beach so they don't get buried in the sand.
The Coastguard says it is important to educate kids and teenagers about the dangers of digging big holes.
Fran Wilkins is a senior coastal operations officer from there based in Filey and said: "We've had a few incidents around the country of people digging large holes on the beach and then these have a tendency to collapse, depending on how big they are and what the sand is like. We're not going to be the fun police, we're not saying don't dig holes, we're just saying exercise a little caution.
"Think about how big that hole is that you're digging and if it's deep enough to sort of hold you in it, then if that sand were to collapse it would effectively pin you within it, so it's about taking a bit of care and keeping an eye on what your children are doing.
"If it's completely covering them up then they could suffocate. If they haven't got an airway then it could be as bad as that. I have to say where these have been happening lately it's been sort of older children, the ones where you think 'oh, they can manage themselves' sort of thing.
"You might not think that digging sand can be dangerous but if you just dig straight down then all the weight of those sides and everything you dig out can come back down on you. It's just really important to just have that little bit of care about what you're doing, think about what could potentially go wrong and not do those things that are avoidable.
"Play with your children and sort of educate them a little bit. If the hole is standing to get deep enough for your child to stand up in them, then maybe it's time to expand it outwards and make something else like sandcastles and moats, but just digging huge holes has the potential to be dangerous, not only for you but for other people who may come across them later on."