COASTGUARDS are concerned for the safety of the public as a vital tide siren on the Morecambe Bay coastline remains out of action.

The siren at Arnside, which sounds twice a day in order to warn the public of the incoming tide, was reported to have stopped working on March 27.

Nigel Capstick, station officer for the Arnside Coastguard, said that the siren, which is next to the town's coastguard station is 'crucial' for public safety.

"Members of the public will get caught out without it," he said. "We have got high tides coming in this weekend. It's a crucial safety facility for us."

His appeal also comes just days after a 70-year-old man stuck knee-deep in mud at Far Arnside was rescued by coastguard volunteers.

The man was said by the Arnside coastguard to be suffering from the effects of cold and was slightly dizzy following his ordeal.

He was taken on a stretcher by hovercraft to the nearby Holgates caravan site. Here is medical condition was checked by an ambulance crew.

Arnside coastguard requested the assistance of Morecambe RNLI and its senior hovercraft commander, Harry Roberts MBE said: “With the coastguard, North West Ambulance Service and RNLI volunteer crew working closely together it enabled the casualty to be quickly rescued and transferred for medical assistance. This made the experience for the casualty a lot easier in a stressful situation.”

The siren, which is not used in the winter, sounded once on the first day of British Summer Time but has not been used since.

"I would like local people to be vigilant and warn anyone out on the sands of the dangers they face," Mr Capstick said.

Mr Capstick has also encouraged the public to call 999 if they see anybody in trouble.

South Lakeland District Council is responsible for both sounding the siren and maintaining it.

Although Mr Capstick said that a member of SLDC had been out to the siren, he is concerned that it is not being dealt with quickly enough.

A spokesperson for SLDC said: “We are aware of the fault with the tide warning siren at Arnside and our maintenance contractors are working to fix the problem.

“As a temporary measure the tide siren operator has been provided with powerful portable air horns to sound the warning about incoming tides, so an alert is still in place, but we would like to repeat warnings to anyone using the sands off Arnside to be aware of the potential risks from incoming tides in Morecambe Bay and to be mindful of the high tide times.’’