TWO truanting pupils from Holyhead High School were rescued on Tuesday by the coastguard after becoming stranded on an outcrop of rock outside Holyhead harbour.
The two boys, aged 13 and 14, had ventured out to Piebio Island but were trapped by tide.
The coastguard received a 999 call from one of the boys at 11.30am and the Holyhead RNLI inshore lifeboat was launched to recover the truants and bring them back to safety, where they were then taken back to school and handed over to the headmaster.
Martin Wise, headmaster of Holyhead High School, said: “They put themselves in a dangerous position and they also put the lives of the coastguard at risk”
With the Easter school holidays approaching coastguard officials are keen to make sure safety is at the forefront of everybody’s mind.
Barry Priddis, watch manager of Holyhead Coastguard, said: “We want everyone to enjoy their holidays at the coast and to go home safe.”
The quick response of the coastguard has also been praised and the need for maintaining a coastguard station at Holyhead has been further emphasised by supporters.
Ray Carson, of the Public and Commercial Services Union, which represents coastguard workers, said: “If there was not a local coastguard with knowledge of the area the boys would not have been brought back onshore so quickly.
The Maritime Coastguard Agency is proposing to cut the number of UK stations from 18 to eight. An extended consultation period is due to end on May 5.