THE COAST GUARD in Howth has urged people to ring them as quickly as possible if they get into difficulty.

The call comes after two sets of people were rescued near Howth as they took advantage of today’s warm weather.

In the first incident this afternoon at Sutton’s Burrow Beach, members of the public were reported stranded on a sandbank in an area of strong currents. They managed to get to shore safely after alerting the Coast Guard and RNLI.

In the second incident this evening members of public also became stranded, this time on rocks at Balscadden in Howth. They were taken off the rocks by an RNLI inshore lifeboat and brought to safety.

A Coast Guard statement commended both groups for reacting quickly:

In both incidents members of the public quickly reported the incidents to the Coast Guard Emergency Operations Centre in Dublin.

“Reporting a call without delay and remaining on scene until the rescue team arrive can greatly assist us in locating casualties quickly. Also the ability to tell us your GPS co-ordinates, available on smartphones, is very valuable in saving time.”