Merseyside Police offer safety advice about visiting the beach this Bank Holiday weekend

Another bank holiday weekend is here. Last summer, when we were blessed with hot weather and many of us had a great time, the beaches and seafront areas of Formby, Ainsdale and Southport produced the highest number of missing children across the whole of the UK on one weekend. As a result, we would like to offer the following safety tips for visiting the coastline, starting with what to pack in advance:

* Always make sure you have high factor sun cream before you set off

* Have plenty of water with you. Fizzy and alcoholic drinks de-hydrate you far quicker

* When you arrive, arrange a meeting point, in case you and your children get separated at any time.

* Make a mental note of the clothing that children are wearing, or better still, take a photograph. We all have cameras on our phones these days.

* In case you have to call the emergency services, know exactly where you are. Finding people who have called us on crowded beaches can delay response times.

* Consider giving small children waterproof wristbands with your contact details on, or even tracking devices for vulnerable children and adults, in case they wander off and lose their way.

If a child is reported missing, the full range of emergency services will make every effort to re-unite children with parents. Please help make our searches easier by following this advice and enjoy your time at our beaches, parks and town centres.