A YOUNG boy who became separated from his parents on Minehead beach sparked a two-hour operation involving volunteer lifeboat crews, coastguards and police.

The 10-year-old was reported missing this afternoon (Tuesday) after last being seen heading off with a body board towards the incoming tide.

Minehead’s D-class RNLI lifeboat was launched within six minutes of the alarm being raised and began a search of the bay while other crew members joined coastguards in scouring the beach.

The boy was finally located by police on the seafront some 300 yards away from where he had left his parents. In the meantime two other children who were also reported missing during the afternoon were quickly found, one by a member of the Minehead RNLI team.

Minehead RNLI spokesman Chris Rundle appealed to all parents using the beach to keep their children under surveillance at all times.

“When the beach is busy it is very easy to lose track of them even after a minute of inattention,” he said.

“What adds to the distress of parents who do lose contact is the fact that the tide comes in so quickly here. When they see the sea suddenly covering the area of sand where their child was playing only minutes earlier it inevitably makes them fear for the worst.”

The UK Coastguard issued a safety plea to parents after responding to nine separate missing children reports in one day on Monday.

All the children were found safe and well, but with so many reports coming in during the day, many UK Coastguard rescue teams have increased their regular patrols and stayed near beaches in case of further emergencies.

Dai Jones, duty controller for the UK Coastguard said: "We have had quite a few calls about missing children in the last 12 hours.

"It was a beautiful day on Monday and it has been very busy, where we have responded to at least nine call outs for missing children.

"It is always a huge worry when children go missing near the beach - not just for the parents but for the emergency services as well.

"There is always a possibility that children will stray too close to the sea and without proper supervision anything can happen.

"We urge parents or guardians to make sure that their children are well supervised at the coast. If you can, head for a RNLI life guarded beach – there are over 210 across the UK coast – and agree a recognisable meeting point.

"Show your children the nearest lifeguard station and tell your children to head there and tell a lifeguard if they get lost.

"Busy beaches can disorientate people, especially children, so take advantage of local wristband schemes for younger children."