EMERGENCY crews have met to discuss how to reduce incidents at Sully Island.

A multi-agency meeting hosted by Penarth RNLI was attended by South Wales Fire and Rescue service, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the National Police Air Service, the National Coastwatch Institution and the RNLI's community safety team.

Many of the local RNLI's call-outs are to people cut off by the tide at Sully Island, where the causeway allows people to walk across to the island at lower tides but becomes cut off when the tide comes in and covers the causeway. The causeway has the second highest tidal range in the world.

Earlier this month, on April 5, Penarth's volunteer lifeboat crew rescued five people and three dogs who had become cut off on the island by the incoming tide.

Jason Dunlop, lifeboat operations manager at Penarth RNLI, said: "This was a positive meeting which identified tangible opportunities to work more closely together with a common goal of risk reduction."

Nicola Davies, RNLI community incident reduction manager, added: "The tide at Sully Island can move very quickly and can catch people unaware.

"The causeway to the island is open three hours before low water to three hours after it - on the Barry tide times.

"We ask people going to Sully Island to always check the tidal sign located on the wall heading down to the causeway to check when if it is safe to cross.

"If it is green it is safe to go and the sign will tell people how long they can safely stay on the island.

"If it shows amber then you must be cautious as the tide is heading back in but if the sign is showing red our advice is never to go to the island as there is a real risk of being cut off."

If anyone does get stuck on the island, the advice is not to try and wade ashore as this is dangerous.

People can easily be swept away by the currents so they should stay on the island and dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard, Ms Davies added.

The RNLI charity says it is undertaking a range of initiatives, in partnership with other organisations, to increase knowledge about dangers at Sully Island.