Another bank holiday is almost with us. A few weeks ago, we were blessed with hot weather for the last bank holiday, and whilst many of us had a great time, the beaches and seafront areas of Formby and Ainsdale produced the highest number of missing children across the whole of the UK. 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 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.