A LOCAL man is calling for increased safety measures at Lydney harbour after racing into the Severn to alert three youngsters and an adult who were strolling on the sandbanks completely unaware the tide had turned.
Neil James, 34, of Stanford Road, Lydney, called two of the youngsters to follow him while the man had to pick up the third and run off the sandbank just yards ahead of the tide.
"It was not until afterwards that I thought how lucky they had been. They had no idea what was happening and we were probably a minute or less away from a very real disaster," he said.
Mr James had been walking with his girl-friend, Claire Sibley, on New Year's eve when they noticed the children run onto the sands and into the middle of the river. A man followed them.
"We watched them for a couple of minutes and then I spoke to a lady who was obviously with them and asked if they were local and knew the river. It was then that I saw the tide was coming in and that they were going to be cut off.
"I ran down the mud and over the sandbank and shouted at them to get off. The girl and a young lad followed me but the man had to run after the other youngster. He could see we were running and he followed us," said Mr James.
"They were less than a minute away from being cut off. They were on a tump of sand and if they had not come when they did the tide would have cut off their exit," he said.
Mr James recalled the last Severn tragedy at Lydney when three members of a Berry Hill family were lost after being cut off by the tide.
"The same sort of thing could easily have happened here. Local people know how dangerous the river can be but the sandbanks can look very inviting when in fact they are very dangerous," he said.
"It was not until afterwards that I realised how inadequate rescue facilities are at the harbour. The warning signs are not very big and I think they are in the wrong place.
"And there is no way of calling for help. If we had wanted assistance on New Year's eve the nearest telephone was over a mile away at the railway station. By then it would be far too late," he said.