A BOLTON teenager is feared dead after a day at the seaside with his best friend ended in tragedy. Fifteen year old Wayne Lammas, a pupil at Sharples School, had been walking along the sands from Southport to Lytham with his friend Mark Taylor but became caught in the fast flowing tide and sands at the mouth of the River Ribble estuary. Mark was plucked to safety with just seconds to spare by an inshore rescue boat, but Wayne is still missing.

The two boys' desperate struggles to reach the banks of the river alerted a man walking on Lytham promenade at just after 5.30 on Saturday evening.

"This man heard what he thought were children's screams coming from the water and straight away he contacted the police," said a spokesman at Lancashire police.

Within minutes a major air, sea and land rescue operation was launched involving coastguards at Lytham and Southport, the RNLI, helicopters from RAF Valley and Lancashire police. After 10 minutes searching the water in the fast fading light the inshore lifeboat from Lytham RNLI picked up Mark, who lives with his grandparents in Ashness Drive, Breightmet. He was taken to Blackpool Victoria Hospital. "The boy was obviously greatly distressed, was suffering from hypothermia and greatly concerned for his friend," said a spokesman for the coastguard service at Liverpool which co-ordinated the rescue operation.

The coastguard, lifeboat and helicopters were again mobilised and embarked on a major search of the water. After four hours the initial search which focused in the Merseyside and Lancashire banks of the Ribble was called off.

A further search was launched yesterday morning and included volunteers and Wildfowlers who shoot around the banks of the Ribble and have a detailed knowledge of its layout. The search was finally abandoned at 4pm yesterday as light faded and all hopes of discovering the teenager, who lived with his parents in Ashness Drive, Breightmet, receded. Liverpool Coastguard Watch Officer Mike Roberts said it appeared the two boys had decided to walk across the estuary towards Blackpool to avoid a longer 20 mile trek by road.

"We can hardly believe what's happened," said Bob Atkinson, headteacher at Sharples School where Wayne was a pupil.

"Wayne was a lively, enthusiastic lad with many friends. He was very well liked by staff and pupils alike.

"Until his death has been confirmed we shall not be telling pupils but obviously things aren't looking very optimistic," he added.

Mark was recovering at home today. His grandmother said that he was still feeling ill. "He is being sick and still quite ill," she said.

She said she had been told that her grandson had been "just seconds from death" when he was pulled from the water, adding that the events of Saturday had left her feeling "traumatised".

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