Girls swept out to sea on inflatable swan in Minehead

Two girls, aged nine and seven, had to be rescued by RNLI crews Credit: Paul Scullion

Two school girls had to be rescued by RNLI crews after being swept out to sea at Minehead on an inflatable swan.

The girls, aged seven and nine, were sitting on the inflatable in the shallow water, controlled by their father who held on to a line.

But, the rope slipped through his hands, and strong offshore winds saw the girls drift almost a mile out to sea.

Their dad quickly called 999 and shouted at the girls to tell them to stay on the float.

The lifeboats attended the scene within minutes, along with a coastguard helicopter.

An inquiry is now underway to determine why no warning flags were on the beach on Saturday afternoon (June 1).

The offshore flags are used to advise people to not swim or use inflatables.

The Minehead RNLI chairman said it appeared the system had "failed".