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'Body' floating in water in Newquay turns out to be inflatable sex doll
Lifeboat and helicopter crews dispatched in Cornish town after fisherman spots what he believes is lifeless person floating face down in water
A major search and rescue operation was launched after reports of a body floating in the water that was actually an inflatable sex doll.
Lifeboat and helicopter crews were dispatched after a fisherman spotted what he believed was a lifeless person floating face down.
He quickly alerted the emergency services, but RNLI volunteers discovered their efforts had amounted to retrieving a soggy blow-up sex toy.
The rescue took place in Newquay, Cornwall, a town that hit the headlines last year for its zero tolerance ban on sex dolls and Borat-style "mankinis" in a move that has been credited with cutting crime.
Speaking at the scene in the harbour, Newquay Coastguard Association chairman, Dave Bulley, said the now-deflated doll has since been "put in the bin".
The town's lifeboat was scrambled - along with a search and rescue helicopter and the coastguard - at 6.45pm on Monday to help locate the "body", with witnesses reporting that flares were also set off to help illuminate the scene.
After the lengthy search, the doll was recovered by the coastguard rescue helicopter and recovered from the middle of Newquay Bay by the RNLI volunteers.
Emergency services quickly stood down after realising the mistake.
Despite the mix-up, Gareth Horner, lifeboat operations manager at Newquay RNLI, said the rock angler who had reported the "body" had done the right thing.
He said: "The 999 caller gave accurate information, which led to a successful search and a positive outcome.
"If you think you see somebody in difficulties at sea, do not hesitate, please call 999 and ask for the coastguard."
One onlooker said Newquay's ban on sex dolls might have been behind the incident.
He said: "Everyone knows they have banned inflatable dolls in Newquay so maybe the authorities spotted a stag party with one and they tried to quickly hide the evidence by throwing it into the harbour.
"I suppose if it is floating face-down in the dark it is quite easy to confuse with a human body, but I am not surprised the lifeboat crews weren't too happy."
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