TWO PEOPLE WERE rescued by the RNLI inshore lifeboat from Dún Laoghaire shortly after midday.

They were walking on Sandymount Strand when the rising tide surrounded them about half a mile from the shore. The pair used a mobile phone to call the Marine Rescue Coordination Centre in Dublin.

The RNLI said they attempted to walk towards the shore but were unable to do so as the water level was waist deep and rising.

The lifeboat arrived on scene at 12.15pm, as did the Irish Coast Guard helicopter.

Lifeboat crewmembers brought the pair to safety. One of the walkers needed first aid for a minor injury.

“Walking on our local beaches is very popular but care is needed in respect of the state of tide that is constantly changing,” Robert Fowler of Dún Laoghaire RNLI said.

From low-tide to high, water level can become several metres deep in the course of a long-walk at the water’s edge.

A recent risk-analysis by the RNLI for the Dún Laoghaire station indicates that walking poses one of the most significant hazards in the area, with today’s incident the third of its kind so far this year.

The volunteer crew typically launches within six minutes of being paged but were already at sea today on one of two weekly routine training exercises.

Separately, the RNLI rescued two fishermen who got into difficulty this afternoon off the Wexford coast.

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