RNLI lifeguards will set up their first red and yellow flags on two Pembrokeshire beaches this weekend, marking the start of the summer season.

The trained RNLI lifeguards will start their patrols tomorrow (Saturday) on Tenby South and Whitesands, two of the county's busiest beaches. The remaining 10 beaches will welcome the lifeguards at the end of June.

From now until early September, RNLI lifeguards will be providing beach safety information, first aid, advice on any potential hazards and carrying out rescues throughout the season. They will be will be on the beach from 10 am until 6 pm everyday during the peak summer.

Neil Thomas, RNLI divisional lifeguard manager, said: "RNLI lifeguards successfully patrolled some of Pembrokeshire's finest beaches last year, so it is fantastic to see the beginning of a second season in this area. These two beaches specifically were our most popular and with the weather warming up, we have provided our service once again to meet the ongoing demand.

"Despite the poor weather last summer, we still dealt with hundreds of incidents across the county. This demonstrates the importance of beach goers swimming between the red and yellow flags on RNLI lifeguard patrolled beach.

"Locals and visitors alike should listen to the advice being offered on the beach by the lifeguards and also be very aware of their own abilities when hiring out equipment, such as surfboards."

This summer, the RNLI charity's 45 trained lifeguards will man 12 beaches across the county. The beaches include Amroth, Saundersfoot, Tenby North, Tenby South, Tenby Castle, Lydstep, Dale, Broad Haven, Newgale, Whitesands, Newport and Poppit Sands.

In the summer of 2008, the RNLI lifeguards were involved in 509 incidents and assisted 561 people in Pembrokeshire alone.

Beach-goers can visit the RNLI website http://www.rnli.org.uk/beachsafety">www.rnli.org.uk/beachsafety for practical advice and tips on how to stay safe. The RNLI's guide to beach safety, On The Beach, is packed full of advice on how to stay safe at the beach. It is available free-of-charge by emailing [email protected]">[email protected] or calling 0800 328 0600.