A TEENAGER has spoken of her terror after she and her friend were swept out to sea.

Fourteen-year-old Chloe Cann, of Little Lever, was rescued in Heysham, Morecambe, shortly before 5pm on Monday after managing to cling to railings and swim back to the shore.

But her friend had to be pulled from the water on to a small boat and was treated in hospital for hypothermia.

The pair got into difficulties after walking along the coast between the Ocean Edge caravan park and Middleton Sands beach at North Quay.

They were cut off by the incoming tide and left stranded on a sand bank, before being swept towards Heysham Harbour.

Chloe managed to swim back to the shore but her friend — a 16-year-old from Wigan — was rescued by a passing boat from the Port of Heysham.

Both teenagers were taken to the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, with Chloe's friend suffering from severe hypothermia and Chloe shaken and suffering superficial injuries.

Chloe was staying with her grandmother near Heysham for a summer break and had made friends with the older girl just the day before.

She said: “We were walking along the beach near Ocean Edge, and when we got to the sea, somehow we moved in a different direction and went into a deep part of the water.

“We ended up going under the water and were not able to touch the bottom.

“I tried helping my friend as she was stuck, but I was not able to.

“I climbed on to a pole that was near the sea and shouted to the ferries that were passing by and people who were walking past for help.

“I came back down from the pole and tried swimming to the railings. It took about half an hour.

“I was looking for my friend and I tried shouting but I could not see her so I walked across towards the beach.

“By this point my friend’s mum was on the beach and she shouted across to me and told me which direction to go.

“By the time I got back to the beach my friend had been rescued.”

The 16-year-old was rescued after the alarm was raised by a passing Stenna vessel which was coming into the port and spotted what looked like a body in the water.

A small boat from the Port of Heysham, which had two men on board, responded to the mayday call and dragged her out of the sea.

Both girls were discharged from hospital yesterday afternoon.

Chloe’s mum, 45-year-old Angela Cann, a mother-of-two and insurance worker, rushed to be with her daughter in hospital.

Mrs Cann said: “When we heard what happened I was thinking the worst — especially because I was not with her.

“There are no signs saying that the tides will turn quickly and that people should stay away from the beach. Families play down there, thinking it is safe.”

The 16-year-old’s mother, who asked not to be named, said her son and two daughters had gone out to the beach with Chloe. She said: “When the alarm was raised I went down to the beach.

“I saw Chloe, but there was no sign of my daughter.

“I was devastated because I thought I had lost her.

“It has made us all – especially the girls – realise how dangerous the sea can be.”

Mark Finch, of Lancaster Police, said: “The girls were fortunate enough that they were spotted getting into some difficulty and were able to get back to the shore.

“This is a timely reminder to anyone enjoying the school holidays and the good weather to remember the dangers of the tide and of open water and to enjoy them safety and responsibly.”

A spokesman for the RLNI said Morecambe Lifeboat was called to attend but was not needed as the girls were already out of the water.

A spokesman for North West Ambulance Service said: “We were called to reports one person had been recovered from the sea.

“A second patient was later recovered from the sea.

“One patient appeared to have minor injuries but there were concerns the other patient could have hypothermia."

The North West Air Ambulance helicopter also attended the scene, landing at the helipad at the Port of Heysham at 4.45pm, but the girls were taken to hospital by ambulance.

Firefighters attended the incident after receiving a call from the ambulance service that there was someone missing in the water at the north side of the port, near the gas works.

A spokesman for Lancashire Fire and Rescue said: “The coastguard were in attendance, and one other person had already been located and rescued.

“As firefighters arrived the missing person was rescued by port agency staff. Firefighters assisted ambulance paramedics in taking the two casualties to the ambulance.”