'Person-shaped' object rescued by British Coastguard was a training dummy

Jan. 2 (UPI) -- A maritime rescue team in Britain was dispatched on a report of a "person-shaped" object in the water, but members arrived to find it was merely a training dummy.

HM Coastguard Fleetwood said a crew was called out to Cove Cafe in Cleveleys, Lancashire, where a witness reported seeing something human-like in the water.

The team arrived at Cove Cafe, where the witness told them the object "was suspiciously person-shaped, but clearly not a person," the Coastguard said on social media.

"Upon closer inspection of a video taken by the informant, we immediately recognized it as the type of dummy used for 'man overboard' drills by maritime organizations and training schools," the post said.

The team decided to retrieve the faux-victim "to prevent the dummy causing more concern and confusion as it drifted up the shoreline."

"After we had safely recovered our casualty to the promenade and made sure they didn't require any further assistance, we handed them over to Wyre Council for disposal," officials wrote.

Coastguard officials said the witness did the right thing in contacting the organization, as "from a distance this made for a very concerning sight in the water."