A birthday celebration sparked a major emergency alert when coastguards, a lifeboat and a helicopter were scrambled to the area between Hinkley Point and Kilve Beach last Wednesday evening after reports that a hot air balloon in distress was losing height and was about to plunge into the sea.

A member of the public on the cliffs near Kilve had dialled 999 after mistaking a cluster of helium-filled birthday balloons for a hot air balloon.

“Due to the seriousness of the report and the potential for lives to be in danger, the coastguard maritime rescue co-ordination centre at Milford Haven immediately sent rescue teams, Burnham-on-Sea lifeboat and a rescue helicopter to the scene,” a Watchet coastguard spokesman said.

As the helicopter and coastguard rescue teams began a visual search, the reflection of an object in the water was spotted close to the shore near the Lilstock firing range observation tower.

The coastguard spokesman added: “The helicopter and lifeboat closed in on the area and it was confirmed that it was our potential target. But instead of being a hot air balloon, it was a series of birthday helium balloons.

“This was a call with good intent because from a distance the balloons falling from the sky could have been easily mistaken for a hot air balloon. On such a beautiful evening, it would have been the perfect time to have seen hot air balloons in the sky.

“The informant did exactly the right thing and within seconds of calling, rescue teams had been dispatched to the area.”