Children 'tagged' for safety

The bands aim to reunited lost children and parents quickly

Children are to be given fluorescent wristbands to keep them safe on a beach in Lancashire.

The "labelling" scheme means children wear their parents' mobile telephone number on their wrists, so they can be reunited quickly if they get lost.

The wristbands have been introduced in St Annes by Fylde Council's beach patrol officer and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

Parents are being encouraged to collect the waterproof bands from the town's town hall, tourist information centre or lifeboat station.

Paul McWilliams, Fylde Council's first Beach Patrol Officer, said: ''This simple but effective scheme is already working well in several shopping centres up and down the country - but it's also very easy for children to be separated from their parents while on the beach.

"They may go off and play or to get an ice cream, and one section of the coastline can look very much like another to a child

"'Part of my job is to help children find their parents and vice versa.

"The new scheme will make this process much easier and means that 'wrist watching' has become one of my daily responsibilities."