Emergency services were put on high alert yesterday after a pile of clothes were found neatly placed at the shoreline in Formby.
A dog walker had come across the pile while out for a morning walk on New Years Day around 10.30am.
It was feared somebody had entered the freezing waters and may have found themselves in difficulty.
A full search stretching from Ainsdale to Hightown was launched but emergency crews were stood down after an hour.
Southport Lifeboat and Crosby Coastguard were both involved in the search.
It marks the first emergency call out of the Southport lifeboat volunteers in 2023.
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