Worrying rise in RNLI rescues in the West Country

The RNLI is urging people to put their safety first when visiting the coast this Easter.

New figures have been released showing a big increase in the number of call outs for volunteer lifeboat crews in the South West.

In 2016, the region's volunteer lifeboat crews were launched more than 1,600 times.

There was a 35% increase in launches to people in the water, compared to 2015.

Across the South West, RNLI lifesavers spent spent nearly 11,000 hours on service at sea last year.

The RNLI is appealing to people to use lifeguarded beaches this Easter.

Lifeguards will be returning to 18 beaches across the West Country in just a few days time. Over the coming months more beaches will be lifeguarded.

• Find out which South West beaches will have lifeguards this Easter.

The men and women who take up this role have stepped up their training for the coming holiday season.

• Watch Steve Hardy's report on the lifeguards getting ready for the holiday season: