The dangers of beach barbecues were highlighted after Dunbar’s volunteer lifeboat crew assisted a man who badly burned his feet on hot sand at Belhaven Beach.
Dunbar’s inshore lifeboat was launched after UK Coastguard received a report of the incident and when the crew arrived on scene they found the man had severe blisters on his feet and was in considerable pain.
He and his partner had been enjoying a barbecue on the beach. When the barbecue cooled they moved it elsewhere but the man stood on sand where the disposable tray had been sitting and the heat of the sand was such his feet blistered.
Crew members used burn bags to protect the man’s feet and with the help from two surfers transferred him to the lifeboat. They then headed to the nearby chalets at Shore Road, where an ambulance crew was waiting to treat the man for his injuries.
A spokesman for Dunbar RNLI said: “The recent warm weather is ideal for beach barbecues but we would urge people to take care. Even when a barbecue has cooled the heat of the sand underneath can be considerable, as this man’s injuries demonstrated.”
