A LANCASHIRE man has appeared on a BBC show to share his terrifying story of how he was nearly swept out to sea last year – and the RNLI team who save him.

Both Adrian Botham and THE RNLI Fleetwood team appeared on BBC Two’s Saving Lives at Sea to share the incredible story.

The show detailed the experience of Adrian, from Fleetwood, who has been bait digging around the Fylde coast for 30 years, but had never been in difficulties before.

Last October, the high spring tides beat him and he called for help once he realised he was in trouble.

Lizzie Dykes and other RNLI lifeguards were called out to help with the incident that day.

On the show Lizzie said: “We were told it was a person who was waist deep in water.”

The show detailed Adrian’s phone call to 999 in which he remarks to the operator “the water is racing I’m just trying not to fall off this bank.”

The inshore lifeboat, Mary Elizabeth Barnes, quickly made its way to the scene, several hundred yards from Marine Hall, Fleetwood, with only water between Adrian and the shore.

On the show, the RNLI crew members remarked: “The main thing people overlook is the tide.

“When the tide comes in it comes in fast. Even the most experienced people get caught out.”

Lancashire Telegraph: They spotted a yellow jacket in the water (Credit: RNLI/BBC)They spotted a yellow jacket in the water (Credit: RNLI/BBC)

Sam said: “We spottted a flash of yellow amongst the grey.

“He was wearing the most luminous jacket I had ever seen.

“The casualty wasn’t moving. He was stuck in one position – something was keeping him stationary.”

Adrian has thought ahead and used his bait pump, used to take worms from the sand, to keep him stationary and stop him drifting away.

On the show, Lizzie explained: “This job could have been a whole different ball game for any number of reasons.

“If he wasn’t wearing the jacket he was wearing, if he wasn’t holding the pump – we wouldn’t have found him because he would have drifted off with the tide.

“Any number of reasons could have been a search for a body and instead of search for a person.”

Almost year on from the incident, Adrian appeared on the episode to reflect on what happened to him last October.

On the episode, he said: “Being out there all there is is you and the birds. You’re closer to the ships than you are to the shore.

“The spring tide coming in nearly twice as fast and she was racing [in]

“I still wasn’t worried. I thought I’m keeping up with you I’ll get back… but this time she beat me.

“It was phenomenally powerful.”

He added that he has never dialled 999 for himself before and was desperate for the lifeguards to save him.

“[The sea] was wearing me down and I thought ‘I can’t do this much longer’.

“I was hoping they’d come quick – boy was I hoping they'd come quick. Please, please, I’m begging.

“Then I heard this boat coming straight at me… some feeling that.”

Reflecting on the moment and what could have happened, Adrian started to get quite emotional on the episode.

 

Lancashire Telegraph: Adrian was moved to tears (Credit:/BBC)Adrian was moved to tears (Credit:/BBC)

He said: “It’s only when you look back and realise that it could have gone either way. I wouldn’t like to think about how many more minutes I could have held on.

“I’ve never felt so much admiration and respect [for the RNLI]. I could have kissed them all on the boat. Marvel heroes don’t come anyway near.

“They’re angels in a boat.”

You can watch Saving Lives At Sea on BBC iPlayer.