By Chris Story

Last updated 11:40, Tuesday, 13 May 2008

TWO children almost drowned after getting into difficulty off the Cumbrian coast.

The pair – a 12-year-old boy and a girl, 13 – had been swimming in a lagoon off Port Haverigg, west Cumbria, when the near tragedy happened on Sunday.

They were about 100m from the shoreline when the alarm was raised at 6pm.

Heroic members of the public and police officers were yesterday praised for their actions to rescue them as emergency services issued a timely safety warning to parents and children.

When police arrived at the scene, the children were becoming tired in the water and two local men were already swimming out to rescue them.

Millom-based PCs Rachel Brown and Ben Strain immediately swam out to join the rescue attempt. Between them, they managed to get the children back to shore before they were treated for shock then taken to Furness General Hospital in Barrow, where medics checked them over as a precaution.

Sergeant Rachel Jones, of Cumbria Police, said: “This was a near tragedy, which was only averted by the presence of mind of witnesses and the bravery of the local people and police officers who swam to the aid of the children.

“I am delighted that there is a happy ending to this situation, but it should act as a warning to parents to remain vigilant as the warm weather sets in, and to remind children of the dangers associated with playing in water.”

n A major rescue operation was launched in the Solway Firth after two youths became stuck in sinking mud during a rising tide.

An RAF helicopter was scrambled along with a lifeboat from Burgh-by-Sands, the Nith Inshore Rescue Boat and Annan Coastguard Unit when the quad bikers got into difficulty, just after 6pm yesterday.

But before they reached the scene, at Newbie, near Annan, family members managed to reach and pull them to safety.

It is understood the youths had got off the bikes they were riding and were almost up to their armpits in the potentially lethal mud as the tide moved in.