UPI – A maritime rescue team in Britain was called out after a report of a “person-shaped” object spotted in the water.
However, upon arrival, the crew discovered it was just a training dummy.
HM Coastguard Fleetwood confirmed that the team had been dispatched to Cove Cafe in Cleveleys, Lancashire, following a witness’s claim of seeing a human-like figure in the water.
The team arrived at Cove Cafe, where the witness told them the object “was suspiciously person-shaped, but clearly not a person”, the Coastguard said on social media.
“Upon closer inspection of a video taken by the informant, we immediately recognised it as the type of dummy used for ‘man overboard’ drills by maritime organisations and training schools,” the post said.
The team decided to retrieve the faux-victim “to prevent the dummy causing more concern and confusion as it drifted up the shoreline”.
“After we had safely recovered our casualty to the promenade and made sure they didn’t require any further assistance, we handed them over to Wyre Council for disposal,” officials wrote.
Coastguard officials said the witness did the right thing in contacting the organisation, as “from a distance this made for a very concerning sight in the water”.
