Lifeboat volunteers were threatened with violence after attempting to rescue a group of drunken children who had entered the sea fully clothed.
When the crew in Morecambe went to their aid, one was told: “Come near me and I'll hit you."
The six youngsters, aged between 11 and 15, were spotted in the water close to the town’s clock tower on Sunday.
At 6.15pm, HM Coastguard requested assistance from a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) craft, but by the time the boat was launched the youths were back onshore, according to the BBC.
The crew were nonetheless asked by HM Coastguard to attend to the children, who were suffering the effects of the cold water.
A spokesperson for Morecambe RNLI said: "The volunteers arrived on scene to be greeted by abuse and threats of violence from the children, all of whom were clearly heavily intoxicated by alcohol.
"In spite of this the crew continued to offer support until police officers and an ambulance crew arrived."
A North West Ambulance Service spokesperson said a female patient was attended to, but that no hospital treatment was required.
