A couple's romantic bonfire - not pictured - sparks a major rescue mission by emergency services
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Saturday, September 17, 2011
12:12 PM
A LOVING couple’s romantic moment on an Essex beach sparked a major rescue mission.
Police, fire and coastguards were scrambled to West Mersea around 8,30pm last night amid reports a dinghy was ablaze.
But it quickly emerged the incident near Coast Road was nothing more than a couple enjoying a romantic moment by a bonfire.
A spokeswoman for Essex Police said: “Callers believed that youths were setting fire to a dinghy.
“We called the fire service and went to the scene and it appeared to be a fire on a beach rather than a dinghy.
“There was a small fire on the beach and a couple.”
Thames Coastguard said the fire was extinguished and safety advice handed out.