The Scottish Coastguard is stressing that people sunbathing on lilos and dinghies in the water must be careful after three children floating on inflatables were saved from the sea yesterday.

A 10-year-old boy was spotted mid-afternoon floating on a rubber ring off Adrossan on the Ayrshire coast. A helicopter and lifeboat were scrambled to assist him, but he was eventually rescued by a passing yacht. A man who swam out to try and help him was later treated for hypothermia.

Soon afterwards Clyde Coastguard were alerted to an incident at Ayr after a young girl on a lilo was seen hundreds of yards offshore.

In a third incident, the Banff lifeboat services rescued a nine-year-old boy who had floated out to sea on a rubber ring.

As record-breaking weather brings more and more visitors to the UK’s beaches, Aberdeen Coastguard watch manager Matthew Mace said that people using inflatables should be on their guard: ‘Even if the sea is calm, there can be a strong undercurrent which can result in people being swept out to sea in seconds. Inflatables have no means of steering and can be punctured making them potentially lethal if not used properly’.