Teen lifeguard's 'quick action' in rescue praised

A teenage lifeguard has been praised for her quick actions to save a young girl, who was struggling in water out of her depth.

Molly Horton, 18, rescued the young girl at Weymouth beach in Dorset on Friday, having just completed her fitness training.

Miss Horton had been patrolling near the bathing area on the beach when she was alerted to the young girl struggling.

She said she heard a shout for help and turned to see "a very young girl with her hand in the air struggling to stay afloat".

"She had swum out of her depth and was panicking in the water," Miss Horton explained.

"I quickly covered the five metres she was away from me, during which time she was under the water, for only a few seconds, before I pulled her onto the rescue board and paddled quickly to shore."

Once on the shore, Miss Horton said she was met by colleagues on the beach who provided casualty care and called emergency services. The girl was then transported to hospital with her father.

Alice Higgins, RNLI lead lifeguard supervisor, said: "This was a serious incident, which thanks to Molly's quick actions, was managed really well by Molly and the rest of the team.

"Thankfully the family were at a lifeguarded beach.

"The incident happened around high tide when the water can get very deep, very quickly, so we'd urge parents to stay with their children and for those less able to stay within their depth."

Ms Higgins has urged people to head to lifeguarded beaches and swim between flags.

She added: "If you find yourself in trouble, float to live - knowing this technique and encouraging your family to practice, could save your life."

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