LIFEGUARDS are recovering after a frantic week in which they went to the rescue of more than 20 people.

They repeatedly leapt into action at Whitby, Scarborough and elsewhere on the North Yorkshire coast as holidaymakers enjoyed spells of sunny weather.

On Monday at Scarborough’s North Bay RNLI lifeguards Darryn Steven, Joss Westcombe, Ollie Jones and Carl Walsh were monitoring the beach when they spotted three children struggling in the sea in strong currents.

Two of the youngsters were washed to safety but a third boy was in severe difficulty. Mr Walsh battled challenging currents and recovered him onto a rescue craft

Supervisor James Turner said: “The waves were repeatedly slamming the youngster under the surface and his was exhausted and close to drowning. The swift actions of the lifeguard team undoubtedly saved his life.”

On Wednesday lifeguard Mr Steven spotted a man who was short of breath after swimming in the bay. He administered oxygen and kept the man stable until he could be taken to hospital.

The lifeguards were then called into action to aid two bodyboarders who were stuck in a rip current. They brought them safely to shore.

At Scarborough’s South Bay an elderly lady was taken ill and also given oxygen by the lifeguards until paramedics arrived.

The team also treated six people for weever fish stings and located several missing children.

At Whitby on Wednesday lifeguard Agustin Lanzavecchia saved a mother and child caught up in a fierce current then his colleague Santiago Cattoni rescued a father and his two daughters who had got into trouble whilst surfing

Nearby, at Sandsend, lifeguard Mia Hall rescued a young girl who had been submerged by a wave while bodyboarding.

She and colleague Luke Hutchinson then aided two body boarders who were caught in a rip current and managed to bring them safely back to the beach.

Another young boy was also rescued after he lost his footing and ended up submerged under the water.

The lifeguard teams at Cayton Bay and Filey were also involved in several rescues and performed multiple minor first aid procedures.

RNLI lifeguard manager Chris Ward said: “The high volume of incidents and rescues really highlights the importance of the stringent training that all our charity’s lifeguards undergo. I’m very proud of the whole team.

“The conditions on Wednesday were very inviting and ideal for surfing, that’s why it was so busy.”

He warned: “It’s likely to be favourable weather again this weekend - and to ensure a safe and enjoyable visit to the coast we always urge people to visit a lifeguarded beach and to swim between the red and yellow flags.”