THE coastguards which serve parts of North Cornwall coastline have urged people to come forward with concerns no matter how small it is.

During the evening of Sunday, May 31, HM Coastguard received a report from a member of the public who suspected that a stand up paddle boarder was in difficulty in the water at Harlyn Beach, near St Merryn.

After proceeding to the scene and meeting with the informant who made the report and investigating the scene, it transpired that it, was in fact, a fishing marker buoy.

The team were then stood down and returned to base.

HM Coastguard Padstow said that the incident was recorded as a ‘false alarm with good intent’ - meaning that while the call turned out to be a non-event, it was not made maliciously.

As a result, the coastguards shared the details of the incident, while encouraging people to still come forward with any reports or sightings as they would much rather be called to a suspected event that turns out to not be the case then not be called and someone ended up in trouble.

A spokesperson for HM Coastguard Padstow said: “Tasking to a suspected stand up paddle boarder in difficulty off of Harlyn Beach.

“The team proceeded to scene and met with the first informant. After further investigation, the ‘person’ in question turned out to be a fishing marker buoy. The team was stood down and the incident was recorded as a false-alarm with good intent. The first informant did the right thing by calling us.

“If it had’ve been someone in trouble then we would much rather be there to assist than be called too late.If you see anyone in trouble on, or near the coast, dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard. Stay safe.”