Lifeboat and coastguards kept busy as temperatures soar

LYME Regis lifeboat crew were called to Seaton yesterday (Saturday) to the aid of a fishing boat that was reportedly taking on water.

The volunteer crew were launched dat 9.15am with one member boarded the 17 foot fishing boat, the Rosie Lee, using a salvage pump.

Finally, the fishing boat, with two people aboard, was able to sail under its own power and was escorted by the lifeboat crew to the safety of Lyme Regis harbour, arriving at 11.20am.

This was the first of three incidents for the crew yesterday, as they were also called to two men drifting in a dinghy off Abbostbury in West Dorset, and reports of a woman in difficulty on an inflatable off Freshwater Beach, which turned out to be a false alarm with good intent.

It was also a busy day for Beer Coastguards. At 12.47pm they were tasked to a paddle boarder in difficulty at Weston Mouth, near Sidmouth, but just as they arrived some officers were called to a second incident in which a 75-year-old woman had fallen unconscious on Sidmouth Beach.

Two team members carried on down to Weston Mouth, while the vehicle went to Sidmouth.

When the woman was found she had regained consciousness but had chest and arm pains and had previously suffered from a heart attack. Coastguards gave her care and managed to get her into the shade, thanks to the Royal York Hotel.

The ambulance arrived within 15 mins and took over her care.

Officers then returned to the previous incident to try an help locate the paddle boarder who was in trouble. The team carried out an extensive search from clifftop and beach but nothing found.

Later that afternoon, Beer and Lyme Regis Coastguards were called to assist the ambulance service, with a person suffering anaphylactic shock on Seaton beach.

On further investigation it was found to be Seaton in Cornwall and not East Devon.